


Fall Season

by star_lemonade



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mentions of WowKwan, Multi, Podfic Welcome, Polyamory, talking about preferences, thigh riding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:47:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27728326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_lemonade/pseuds/star_lemonade
Summary: You admit your crush on Sehyoon and after an apparent rejection, Sehyoon has to make a confession of his own.
Relationships: Kim Byeongkwan/Reader, Kim Sehyoon | Wow/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 29





	1. Confession

**Author's Note:**

> If you don't enjoy reading about relationships that involve more than two people, this story is not for you.

“I like you.”  
There it was. You had said it. The truth was out and now all you could do was wait for the fallout. The chatter from the other seven or so tables in the small café made the silence between you grow louder. His beautiful, dark eyes avoided you and his hands were still wrapped around the cup of tea.  
“It’s okay , if … you don’t like me that way.”  
Your face started to feel hot and your eyes burnt. For quite sometime now you had been sure he liked you too, but now it seemed that it had been only you projecting your feelings. You had had a crush on him for about two months now, so maybe it was your mind playing tricks, but how could you not? When you two had spent time together it was full of laughs and interesting discussions. You had always enjoyed the little meetings at the park for a walk after lunch, the movie suggestions you had exchanged and coffees on saturday.  
“I …”  
He stood up, almost knocking down the chair.  
“I have to go.”  
Sehyoon fled.

After everyone at the café had given you pitiful looks, you decided to flee as well. The sun shone tauntingly from the blue sky as you walked home. Don’t cry. People hurrying past you. I will be home soon. You felt empty as the giddiness from earlier had faded. In my apartment I can cry without people judging me.  
The closest convenience store to your apartment came into view and you slipped in to get some alcohol. Drinking while sad is not the best idea but it’s not that much.  
You reached your door, shuffled into your house and flopped down on the couch. What a terrible day.  
A beer and your favorite show kept you company that friday evening until you were tired enough to sleep.  
The next day you tried to keep yourself occupied with cleaning your apartment and doing the laundry. Get a grip, some guy rejected you, it’s not a big deal.  
You were scrubbing the kitchen sink when your phone buzzed. One new message.  
“Can we meet today?” Sehyoon. He had texted you.  
One part of you wanted to lash out at him, but the more rational (and still hopeful) part replied with “Yes.”  
He wanted to meet you in the evening at a restaurant you had not heard of before and to more time passed the less sure you were that this was a good idea. Standing people up is not my style. You started to get ready way too early, but it was making you more confident.  
The restaurant looked underwhelming from the outside, just a door in a grey wall with the name in metal letters above it. The building could not have been blander than this formerly white facade. No one was waiting for you at the entrance so you texted Sehyoon. The nights were getting colder and the coat you were wearing was too thin to keep you warm. But it looks amazing on me.  
“Ask for a reservation in my name”  
You put your phone into your pocket and opened the door. The inside was a shock.  
The brightly colored walls featured traditional art styles from different periods of history. The left side of the room was dominated by the long counter of a bar, the rest was filled with low tables, some sitting on elevated platforms. The big room was filled with chatter and laughter from the packed tables.  
A waiter saw you and came over. In his hanbok he blended in well with the theme of the restaurant.  
He led you past the bar and down a narrow hallway. The walls looked like they were made from paper and wood like the interior of traditional houses. He stopped in front of a sliding door and asked for your order before leaving you there. You were alone with the door and your worries. I can still run away now. You straightened your clothes, took a deep breath and slid the door open.  
Inside was a room that was also covered in paintings and equipped with a small table. Two pairs of shoes stood on the dark mat in front of the door.  
Seeing Sehyoon was a punch in the gut. He wore his glasses that made him look like a cute nerd and fluffy sweater filled you with an overwhelming need to hug him. Next to him sat another guy, one you had only seen in pictures, Byeongkwan. In his oversized blue hoodie he looks small and boyish. Sehyoon had basically not shut up about him and you had assumed that he was his best friend but now you were not so sure. They sat close together, shoulders touching and their hands interlocked resting on Sehyoon‘s thigh.  
“Hi.” Both the softness of his voice and his little smile were devastating. “You came.”  
“Yes…” Looks like I did.  
Both of them looked up at you and when your eyes met Sehyoon‘s companion said: “I’m Byeongkwan. Nice to meet you.”  
His deep voice did not suit his young face. You introduced yourself but it felt stiff and rehearsed. Sehyoon looked up at you for a moment before gesturing to the pillow on the other side of the table.  
“Please sit.”  
You took your time taking off your shoes and setting them next to the door as well. The coat stayed on though, if you had to storm out of here you did not want to deal with putting your clothes on. The tension in the room was high and all of the pressure was on your crush on the other side of the empty table. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Byeongkwan’s attention was on his friend, a crease had formed between his brows. He squeezed Sehyoon’s hand, then let go and got up.  
“See you around.” He said to you, threw a last look at Sehyoon then left. It was just the two of you and somehow it felt more uncomfortable. His eyes lingered on the door for a moment longer, then he looked at you.  
“I’m sorry that I just left yesterday. I… had to think about some things.”  
Why do you speak in that soft voice to me, you’re making it hard to not crush on you. You noticed that you had unconsciously crossed your arms.  
He licked his lips and swallowed hard before he said: “I like you too. A lot actually”  
“What?”  
Redness started to rise from his neck up and onto his cheeks. He looked down on the table. Your brain just froze, not comprehending what was happening here.  
“I like you, really.” His eyes met yours again and you had never seen his face blush this much. It was unnecessary cute.  
“How can you say that? Didn’t your boyfriend just leave?”  
The words came out harsh and in a slightly shrill tone.  
He sighed and bit his lip.  
“Yes, Kwanie is my boyfriend, but I’m asking you if you want to be my girlfriend.”  
Thankfully you were saved from saying anything to that directly by the waiter coming in with your drinks. He sat the glasses down on the table and left fast, surely he felt the atmosphere in the room too. You had never been more thankful for a beer than that day.  
“When we started spending time with each other,” he began while leaning towards you over the table. “it wasn’t because we wanted to start a relationship, was it?”  
“No,” you confirmed. What has that to do with anything?  
“I would have told you earlier, if that had been the case, I’m sorry.”  
“What exactly are you asking of me?”  
“Byeongkwan and I talked about this for some time and we agreed that we can get into relationships with other people, if there is someone we feel strongly about.”  
He feels strongly about me? You looked at your drink and decided now was a good time to take a sip.  
“How would that even work? Would I be your mistress or something?”  
Sehyoon had moved closer to the table with his forearms resting on the table.  
“No, you would be my girlfriend.”  
“But he is your first choice?”  
He sighed. “That depends on us.”  
You purse your lips at this vague answer.  
“I’m not one for ranking but maybe you want someone else as your primary partner… we will have to see.”  
I don’t know about this.  
“It’s a bit much.” He leant back and straightened his glasses.  
“Yes it is.”  
You just wanted to go home and sleep. The last 24 hours had been an emotional rollercoaster and you felt exhausted. He nodded and stared at a point on the wall behind you.  
“How about this,” he looked at you again. “you obviously need some time to think., so let’s meet again next week.”

The walk home gave you some time to think. You had spent quite some time with him over the past few months. At first you just met for a short coffee break, but you often ended up talking way too long about movies. These conversions spilled over onto your phones and flowed into other topics, so you knew what his outlook on life was like. Sehyoon never really got angry and you ademired that a whole lot. He would not expect you to be a housewife or be a docile trophy girlfriend.  
“Oh, Kim Sehyoon.” I love talking to you abd spending time with you. You are gorgeous. What am I going to do?

* * *

After a restless night you woke up in the morning to grey skies and rain. It was hard to get out of bed, but you felt like you had to do something. Maybe a coffee will help. Your small kitchen was cold, the tiled floor was sucking the warmth out of your feet. You turned on the coffee machine and went back to the bedroom for some fluffy socks. The phone on the bedside table showed no new messages. Should I talk to someone? Maybe ii would help?  
The someone was your friend, May, who showed her quality as a friend by picking up after the second ring.  
“Hey!”  
“How can you be this loud in the morning?”  
You certainly sounded like you had just woken up.  
“I have been awake for three hours.” That explains a lot. It was not uncommon for May to be up at this hour, because she tended to stick to her sleep schedule even on the weekends.  
“I need someone to talk to.”  
“Okay?”  
She was one of the best listeners you knew and you decided to talk to her openly.  
“You remember the guy I told you about?” The one I never shut up about? Who I may love? The one who I had a crush on for several months?  
“The one who just left when you confessed? So you have decided that I can beat him up after all?”  
“No, but something happened. I met him yesterday, and asked me to be his girlfriend but he also has a boyfriend...”  
That sounds too weird doesn’t it? You could heat nothing but static and almost asked if she was still there when she finally spoke.  
“Wait for me, I will be there in 20.”  
With that she hung up and left you to stand in your kitchen dumbfoundedly.

May looked exactly how you would expect someone to look who had left the house in a hurry. The bun on her head was slanted and hair was coming loose, she wore a grey hoodie that had small oil stains on it and sweatpants that had seen better days. You hugged in the kitchen while the coffee machine made a cup for her, then you moved to the couch.  
You told her about the day before, what Sehyoon had told you and the brief meeting with his partner.  
“Wow.”  
May sank back into the couch and took a sip from the coffee.  
“Yeah.”  
You were on your second cup, but this one was more for the warmth than for the caffeine. Despite the thick sweater and pants you felt cold as the building was cooled by the rain.  
“I don’t know what to do.”  
May pouted and asked the important questions.  
“Do you want to be in a relationship with him?”  
You had been asking yourself that too but you simply were not sure if the benefits outweighed the costs.  
“Yes.. but... I don’t know...”  
May looked at you and sighed.  
“Okay, i’m gonna tell you something.”  
You perked up.  
“You know about my aunt?”  
“You have an aunt? We have known each other for 10 years and I have never heard about you having an aunt?”  
May shifted her weight on the couch and looked around as if someone could hear.  
“Yeah, she lives in the countryside with her husband and girlfriend. My grandma would rather die than admit this though. They have been living together for 13 years.”  
“Okay..”  
Really these relationships can last this long?  
“My point is, if you like that guy so much, maybe you should give it a try? You can break up with him if you don't like it.”

* * *

The next few days you spent some time researching online and to your surprise there were a lot of people online who shared their experiences about being in a relationship with multiple partners. After reading a bunch of articles on the topic you felt better equipped for the situation and it seemed like Sehyoon‘s offer had avoided some red flags. He had told you about his partner and the nature of the relationship he wanted to have with you before you actually got into it. You had noticed that he was a very open person, who could voice his discomfort without being rude or hurtful. When he texted you asking to meet him on Friday you agreed without hesitation.  
Friday came around and you went to the park where you had had walks before. Now however the leaves on the trees had started to change color. You found him standing at the entrance to the park. You were glad that you had taken some notes on what questions you still wanted to ask him, when you saw him. His dark suit jacket, white shirt that was not buttoned up entirely, black, unnecessary tight jeans and styled hair wiped away every coherent thought you ever had. Oh boy, his thighs. Stop looking! Stop thinking about them! One woman who walked past arm in arm with a friend even turned to look at him.  
“Sehni.”  
He turned and beamed at you.  
“Hi.” Your heart arched seeing his smile.  
You started walking along the path that circled the park. The grass left and right was still the vivid green of summer but some of the trees already had yellow and red leaves. For pedestrians the park was the shortest connection between the busy streets on either side. At this time the cafés, restaurants and shops were filled with people but here only few people lingered to enjoy the green space.  
“I want to ask you some questions, if that’s okay.”  
“I thought so.”  
He gently took your hand and you let him. The warmth that radiated from his skin was appreciated and the lightness of his hold invited you to pull away, if you wanted. There were no people in this part of the park and you felt comfortable to talk openly, without fear of someone eavesdropping.  
“Will this relationship be open or closed?”  
“Closed, but if you meet someone you like, we can talk.”  
So no fucking random people, who you just met. Very good. It was not something you wanted to do either. One night stands and fuck buddies were not something you were particually interested in.  
“What do you think is the most important thing to make this work?”  
He paused for a moment. You had reached the most beautiful part of the park. The old magnolia tree that stood here had started flowering again. This happened sometimes in the fall and while not as impressive as in the spring, the big white-pink flowers were still a feast for the eyes.  
“It’s important that we can talk with each other.”  
Sehyoon took your hand between both of his.  
“Even when it’s uncomfortable or embarrassing, we have to talk about it. Don’t be afraid to tell me, when something is bothering you.”  
You looked into his eyes and thought about all the times you had had deep conversations with him. I was not afraid to talk to him about difficult stuff until now, so this should not be a problem. He was as beautiful as the day you had first met him. From the warm, dark brown eyes to his full lips that attracted your eyes now.  
“Okay, one last question.”  
“Yes?”  
He still held your hand with his hands, his full attention was on you and you swallowed hard.  
“Can I kiss you?”  
A relieved smile appeared on his face. You both laughed as the tension left and you laid your hands on his shoulders. His arms snuck around your waist and he rested his forehead against yours.  
“Yes, you can.”  
You leaned in more and brushed your lips against his. They were soft and the feeling of them moving with yours made you tingle all over. The kiss was light and sweet and you did not want it to end. You moved together perfectly and his perfume enchanted your senses. The soft hair at the back of his head was the place where your hand rested, your fingers running circles over his scalp.  
Eventually you had to separate but not totally. He held you tight and your forehead rested against his again.  
“You wanna eat something, girlfriend?”  
Your laughter echoed through the empty park.

You walked home like you were in a trance and only when you entered your apartment you looked at your phone to find a message from May asking how it went.  
“I have a boyfriend now,” was your simple answer.  
The next day nothing could dampen your good mood. Your boss sending you an email on the weekend? Dandy, but he can’t expect an answer before monday. One of your plates breaking in half as poured some hot soup in it? Huh that’s so weird. Your neighbor's kids running around and stomping on the floor as if they were trying to bring the house down? Good for them.  
Sehyoon began texting you in the morning, wishing you a good day and you started texting him in the evenings. Some routines emerged between you like on Tuesdays and Thursday you would meet for lunch at an inexpensive restaurant that was near where you worked. You talked almost everyday even when you did not see each other face to face.

* * *

On a Monday your boss sent you to a meeting in a different part of town. You went a bit earlier to grab a coffee from a shop you liked that was close. The small cafe had amazing coffee and teas but it was usually too far away to reasonably go there, when you were working. That day there was a long line but you had time however someone before you was not so patient and left.  
The person in the line before you now was wearing a black tracksuit, white shoes and a beanie. You noticed that the hair in his(?) neck was damp.  
When it was his turn to order, you saw the light brown hair peek out of the beanie in the front and the sharp jawline of Sehyoon‘s boyfriend. You did not know if you should say anything or not but gather your courage.  
“Hi, Byeongkwan.”  
He spun around when he heard his name, but did not seem to recognize you. You smile but it was out of nervousness.  
“Oh, Hi.”  
You not quite place what the expression was that he had given you, dread maybe? but it was gone so fast that you could not be sure anyways. He turned around, grabbed his coffee and left.

* * *

It was Friday and today Sehyoon would come over to your place to watch a movie. You were nervous as this was the first time you would meet him in a private setting. The apartment was squeaky clean because you had channeled your nervous energy into tidying up the place. From the shower head to the kitchen sink, everything had been scrubbed. Yesterday you had bought some groceries that were in the fridge now. You checked your clothes in the mirror, just jeans and a comfy sweater, before looking around again. With nothing left to do you flopped down on the couch. About 30 seconds later the doorbell rang and you jumped.  
Sehyoon was on the other side of the door wearing a black hoodie, sweatpants and a brilliant smile.  
“Hi!”  
“Hey, come in!”  
You stepped back and he came in, putting a bag down next to the door. He took off his shoes and hung his jacket on a peg on the wall. A moment later you found yourself in his arms and his lips pressed to yours. One hand cupped your check as you kissed, gently rubbing over the sensitive skin. You wrapped your arms around his midsection and pulled him a little closer. The hoodie was cool and smelled like the outside air, but his lips were soft and warm as the summer sun.

You went to the kitchen together.  
“I’m not very good at cooking but I can cut everything.”  
“Okay.”  
You got all the vegetables, a peeler and a knife. He peeled and cut while you set the table. You could have done it faster yourself, but it was less stressful like this. The vegetables sizzled in the frying pan and you deglazed them with soja sauce.  
Sehyoon‘s hands snuck around your waist from behind and he buried his nose in your hair. You leant back against his chest and he planted a kiss on your head. Somehow you managed to cook the food despite being distracted by the kisses he peppered along your shoulders and neck.  
You ate at the table in your kitchen but to be honest all you could remember about that dinner was looking into his eyes and holding his hand. After the food was gone you moved to the couch for the movie. There was something that you found odd.  
“Why are you wearing sweatpants?”  
To emphasize your point you laid your hand on his thigh. A big mistake because the hard muscles under the pants turned you on way too much and a blush was creeping onto your face. He can’t see you’re turned on, relax.  
“Because it’s comfy.”  
You just nodded.  
“Should I wear a suit next time?”  
He gave you a cheeky grin. Oh god no. You’re too attractive already.  
“No.”  
You kissed him and held his hand. Suddenly he broke the kiss and got up.  
“What is it?”  
“I brought something!”  
He got the bag that had been leaning next to the door and when he picked it up, it made a clinking sound.  
“This is for you.”  
Inside were two bottles of your favorite wine.  
“Oh! Thank you so much!”  
“No problem.” He sat down next to you, his arm up on the backrest, his body half facing you. He bit his lip and he looked at you with sparkling eyes.  
“You don’t expect me to drink all of this tonight, do you? Because I will be dead after this.”  
He shook his head and beamed at you.  
“What is it then?”  
“You are awesome.”  
It was such a broad statement but you could feel the appreciation in the way he said it and how he looked at you as if you were the most precious thing in the world.  
“I think you are awesome too.”  
His smile in the manner that melted your heart.  
“There is something I want to ask you.”  
Your attention was drawn to his lips as he licked them unconsciously.  
“Okay.”  
He leant a bit closer and swallowed audible before saying:  
“What do you like in bed?”  
Okay, not what I thought it would be. You felt your face get hot and your stomach clench in anticipation. You did not really know where to start and Sehyoon narrowed down his question.  
“Do you like it hard and fast or slow and gentle?”  
I’m totally not imagining both options right now. Slowly being taken from behind while lying down on the side so you hit my gspot with every stroke? Yes, please. Getting pounded in whatever position until I can’t walk the next day? Also yes. Both sounded good.  
“Both, depands on the mood. You?”  
“Both.”  
He took your hand and held it, rubbed the back with his thumb.  
“Do you want to be on top or on the bottom?”  
“Sometimes I wanna be on top too.”  
A content smile was on his slightly flushed face. The blush looked cute on his cheeks.  
“I'm sure you will look awesome riding me.”  
You swallowed and looked down to your hands that laid on his thigh. They were so beefy and firm that you just wanted to touch them.  
“You wanna sit in my lap?”  
He voice was definitely more husky now than before.  
“Now?”  
He patted his thighs and looked at you, waiting for your answer. You straddled him and he wrapped his arms around you. The crook of his neck was the perfect place to be and you buried your face in it. He was warm and solid beneath you.  
“When you go to the gym … come by afterwards.”  
You whispered against his skin and he snorted a laugh.  
“You like big muscles, huh? Got it.”  
He started to tickle you, but you caught his hand fast. Using the fact that you held his hands he pulled you in and kissed you. This time the kiss was more heated. All this sex talk had gotten not only you riled up.  
“Oral, giving or receiving?” You breathed into his ear and pulled back to see his face. He licked his lips as if he could not wait to lick something else.  
“Both. You?”  
“Both.”  
Having your head between my thighs would truly be a sight I wanna see.  
“I have a fantasy, but this is something… if you don’t want to it’s okay.”  
Your underwear was starting to feel uncomfortably damp at this point and you considered going to the bathroom.  
“I would enjoy watching you have sex with someone else.”  
The only person i wanna fuck right now is you. I can’t think of any one else.  
“Someone else? Like who?”  
You had not thought about this before and did not know if you would like this or not.  
“Byeongkwan ?” You added as an afterthought.  
“Oh.” He looked at the ceiling for a moment. “Damn, I hadn’t thought about that but that would be so hot.”  
His fingers had slipped under the hem of your shirt and drew circles on the skin of your lower back.  
“So, you are telling me you would love to watch me and your boyfriend have sex?”  
“Is that too weird?”  
“Will take some getting used to…”  
You were wet and tried to get more comfortable by shifting your weight in his lap. The thought of Sehyoon watching you while being fucked grew on you a little bit but mostly your mind was filled by images of him thrusting into you from various angles.  
“I’m warm,” he announced suddenly and usered you off his lap. The hoodie came off first and to your surprise the pants too. He wore tight boxers that did not leave much to the imagination and a t-shirt. His thighs were the highlight of this outfit and you definitely did not look respectfully.  
“Do you want to ride my thigh?”  
He sat back down and ran his hand over the muscles in question. The smug grin on face was almost evil.  
“I’m totally transparent, aren’t i?”  
“You think I don’t know what my charming points are? Come.”  
He petted his thigh and you bit your lip. You loved his big thighs and you were so horny, it was hard to pass on this offer. You caved faster than a house of cards in front of a window, took off your pants and sat down on his leg.  
His hands were on your hips, the muscles firm under you as if your weight was not even there.  
He kissed you and as his tongue slipped into your mouth, you tentatively rocked your hips. The friction was heavenly and you moaned quietly into his mouth. Your hands ran down his chest over his stomach and landed between his legs. When you stroked him through his underwear, he broke the kiss and took a shaky breath before catching your hands. He kissed both and said:  
“Don’t make me come in my underwear. I’m not a teenager.”  
He placed your hands on his shoulders and grabbed your hips lightly grinding you onto his leg. You buried your hands in his hair. It was soft and silky, a good length to grip it. You guided his face closer to your neck and a shiver ran up your spine when he started sucking lightly on the sensitive skin.  
“No hickies, please.”  
You rocked your hips against him as he kissed and sucked further down.  
“I know I teased you earlier, but I want to get you off so bad.”  
His voice was thick with lust and it pushed you closer. Your hips slid back and forth on his hard muscles. He flexed them for you and it felt so good that a whimper escaped your open mouth. His lips had found your collarbone and he lightly sucked there.  
“Come for me.”  
It sounded almost desperate and you closed your eyes, biting your lips so as to not scream. You concentrated on the strong hands on your hips, the firmness between your legs and the smell of his perfume. The high was building fast in your stomach and you clamped your legs around his. You back arched and you let out a moan. With the next few smaller movements you rode out your orgasm. You let your head sink against his shoulder and tried to calm your breathing.  
“You’re cute like this.”  
Sehyoon kissed your hair and ran his hands over your back. You lazily kissed the exposed skin in the crook of his neck, feeling the softness of it on your lips.  
“I have to get out of this underwear.”  
He raised an eyebrow and you lightly slapped him. With a new pair of underwear you went to the bathroom and cleaned yourself up. You took a wet washing cloth with you to wipe off Sehyoon’s leg and you found him on the phone.  
“... okay, okay, I will be there soon.”  
He hung up and frowned.  
“What happened?”  
“Work. I have to go there.”  
You came closer and offered him the cloth as he picked up his pants.  
“On Friday evening?”  
“Yes.”  
He wiped his leg, put on his pants and pulled you into a tight hug.  
“I don’t want to go either.”  
Your arms tightly wrapped around his chest and your head rested again in the crook of his neck, your new favorite place.  
“Why do you have to?” You whispered against his warm skin.  
“Something happened with the server and technicians will arrive soon, so the youngest person with access has to babysit them.”  
He let go and cupped your face with both hands. His thumb brushed over your cheek and you looked into his eyes.  
“Next time, no interruptions I promise.”  
You kissed briefly before Sehni had to leave.

Not sure what else to do with this evening you got into bed and started reading. A ringing echoed through your apartment, your phone. You threw the blanket off and ran to the living room where your phone charged.  
“Hey. Don’t you have to babysit some technicians?”  
You laughed.  
“Oh, I am.”  
From the other end came some muffled voices, seemingly there was a heated argument going on.  
“Sorry that I had to leave.”  
“I’m sorry that you had to go … uhm … unsatisfied.”  
When he left you could still tell that he was hard, but the wide pants had sufficiently hid it.  
“I’m fine don’t worry.”  
“Good, but next time, turn off your phone, okay?”  
You both laughed. He is so cute.  
“Can I come by next weekend?”  
“I won’t be here the next two week because of that conference.”  
You, your boss and his assistant would attend a conference for a week and you would spend another week lying on the beach.  
“Oh, it’s next week already?”  
“Yeah.”  
At the time when this was planned it had sounded like a good idea but now you would miss your cute boyfriend.  
“I will miss you, but don’t be too sad, have fun, okay? I will come to your place when you are back.”


	2. The Business Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to [ AleXing1061 ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AleXing1061) for beta reading this!!

If the word chaotic was a person, it would be your boss. 

On Sunday morning you arrived at your gate 45 minutes before boarding. He was not there. You watched the ranks of passengers grow, as you read a book on the hard airport chairs. Whenever you looked up, there had appeared more people and with them the noise level had increased. Your boss however was nowhere to be seen. 

Three ladies in uniform arrived at the gate and started to set up. Not long afterwards they announced over the loudspeaker that boarding would commence soon. Still no boss.

The passengers formed a line in front of the gate, families with small children, some students and a bunch of others on business trips. The boarding began and people disappeared down the gangway into the plane.  _ Where is he? _

The last person before you boarded, when you finally saw your boss approaching the gate. “Approaching” was not the right word though, because in reality he was being physically dragged along by his assistant, Mrs. Kim. The elderly woman was surprisingly agile for her age and managed to get your disaster of a superior onto the plane in time. 

Once in the air he laughed about being dragged by Mrs. Kim in his carefree way and bought both you and her a drink. That day was free of official schedules, so you accepted and watched as the metal zylinder cut through the morning sky. 

* * *

The conference was held in a fancy hotel at the beach and thankfully your boss had compelled the company to fund three separate rooms. You arrived at the hotel, got your key and crashed on the bed in your room. The flight and the company had been exhausting. You took a short nap. 

The room was nothing spectacular but it had an ocean view. You placed your clothes in the closet by the door, not wanting to live out of a suitcase for the next two weeks and arranged everything you needed in the tiny bathroom. 

That evening all the people who had already arrived for the conference met for dinner in the hotel restaurant. As absentmindedly as your boss seemed, conferences were his time to shine and it was down right fascinating to see how he began conversations with people and just charmed them. Everyone wanted to have him at their table and that meant less work for you, but not for his assistant. Poor old Mrs. Kim had to make sure he would not drink too much and was in his hotel room at a reasonable hour. 

The first two days of the conference were demanding and your colleagues insisted that you spent the evenings with them, networking. 

On wednesday however you finally had some time to call Sehyoon. The sun was setting and the oceane glittered in shades of orange and red outside your window. You sat down in the armchair, so you could watch the light fade as you called your boyfriend.

“Hey, how are you?” 

His voice sounded soft and you could hear the smile on his face.

“Hi. ...I miss you”

_ It’s only been four days. _

“I miss you too.”

_ But it feels like three years.  _ A lot had happened at the conference that made the time pass fast and slow at the same time.

“How is the conference?”

“Better than expected, some interesting talks here and there, and enough cof-”

You heard a muffled voice through the speaker as he said:

“Excuse me. Just a second.” 

For a moment there was only some  rustling .  _ Who is he talking to? _

“Sorry about that. What were you saying about talks?”

“Who were you talking to?”

It sounded more accusatory than you had intended but he did not seem to notice. His tone was unchanged, when he said,

“Just Kwanie.”

Right, Byeongkwan, his boyfriend. You felt your stomach curl into a tight ball. 

“He is there?”

_ What a pointless question, of course he is there. _

“Yes, he has his own place,” Sehyoon spoke louder. 

“But mostly he stays at my apartment.”

“Oh.”  _ They live together. _ You sank into your chair.  _ I’m the third wheel.  _

Later you would not remember what was said after this or how the call had ended. All you could think about was how they lived together. Sehyoon and Byeongkwan shared an apartment, while you had not even been there. ‘Kwanie’ had his stuff there and you did not. 

You watched as the sun drowned in the sea and the sky turned from molten metal to marine uniform blue. Like an unheard command the ocean called for you and you got up, out of the door, into the elevator, out of the lobby and onto the beach. The sea was calm that evening and the beach was illuminated by the streetlights of the promenade that separated the garden of the hotel from the beach. You sat down there and looked at the horizon where there were still traces of red. The warm wind carried the scent of the salt water over to you and small droplets landed on your face. The small waves hit the shore in a regular but also unpredictable pattern. You watched as the water dissolved into the sand. 

The past weeks had made you think that Sehyoon was  _ your _ boyfriend and you had subconsciously pushed the thought of Byeongkwan also being in a relationship with him out of your mind. As happy as you had been to spend time with Sehni, as harsh was the realization that you were just a side piece. After he made out with you he would go home to his partner.  _ That evening when he left with a hard on, he probably got sucked off by him. I’m just the mistress that he won’t take home.  _

The waves rolled onto land like the jealous thoughts of Sehyoon and Byeongkwan, always the same but also slightly different every time.

* * *

The next day the conference continued but your heart and mind were not in it. Some business man’s talk on the newest social media strategies that felt more like they were from three years ago, was only a shallow distraction from your thoughts.  _ Can I be in a relationship like this?  _ That was the central question. 

You drank a coffee that was way too bitter, but not as bitter as the thought of Sehyoon lying in bed with his partner right now.  _ Why is it not me? Because you are stuck here, _ you answered yourself. During the next talk your thoughts did not drift off as much.  _ Am I not enough?  _

Next up was lunch, so everyone got into the dining hall of the restaurant and groups formed at the tables. You sat down with your boss and Mrs Kim as always, but today a group of guys joined you, who  _ really _ wanted to join you. Apparently they had won the silent battle for your boss’ precious lunch time. One of them was a bit younger than the rest of them maybe a few years older than you. He sat down next to you and introduced himself as Steve or Stephen or something like that. You did not really care but you also did not want to be overtly rude. As it turned out he was terrible company. The only thing he wanted to talk about was some deal his firm wanted to make with yours, which was not something that fell into your area of responsibility. 

“Sorry, but I don’t wanna talk about work right now.” 

He frowned. The others from his company happily chatted with your boss who was the life of the lunch. The dining hall was filled with laughter and chatter from the conference goers, everyone was in a splendid mood.  _ I miss Sehni.  _

The Stephen guy changed his strategy and tried with small talk, but he clearly was not happy. Thankfully the break was over soon enough so you did not have to pretend to be interested in anything he said. On another day you would have tried to be a better conversational partner but today you just felt exhausted. 

When Sehyoon asked if you could talk again you made something up so you did not have to talk to him and instead headed to the bar where your boss bought you a drink. You sat at a table with your colleagues and a new bunch of potential business partners. Their words blew past you like the wind. Even though there were a lot of people around you there was no one you wanted to talk to. The only person whose voice you wanted to hear had been shot down by you. Sinking further into the seat you sipped(?) your drink. 

“You wanna take a walk, dear?” 

Mrs. Kim put a hand on your arm as she leant over with furrowed brows.  _ Actually I wanna just drown my sorrows in these overpriced cocktails.  _

“Sure.” 

You drowned the rest of your drink and got up with her. She led you out of the hotel onto the promenade. The drink began to show its effect, everything was a bit more dull than before. The salty smell of the sea was less intense, the sound of the waves was more like white noise. 

“Has something happened, dear?” 

Mrs Kim’s white pearl necklace shone against the dark material of her cardigan. She had a thin almost starved looking face, with kind eyes and lots of wrinkles from laughing. 

“Just guy problems. It’s nothing really.”

“You can tell me.” 

Maybe it was the alcohol, or the fact that Mrs. Kim reminded you of a nice grandma, but however that maybe, you told her about your boyfriend and his boyfriend. On the left side of the promenade other hotels passed by as you walked and some of their temporary inhabitants had decided to take a late night swim in the ocean. 

“Do you love him?”

The question took you aback. You had known him for the better part of a year and you had been together for almost two months but none of you had said the L word yet.  _ Do I?  _

“Does he love you?” 

“I don’t know.”

She watched the people who were skinny dipping clearly disapproving. 

“I think those are the only two questions that matter because you are in uncharted territory now, dear.”

Mrs. Kim stopped under one of the streetlamps to look at you. The light painted hard lines on her face making her look even older.

“You have left behind the safe haven of the plan that society has laid out and you must find your own way in this relationship. That’s scary but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Give yourself some time and talk to your partner.”

She laid her hands on your shoulder and smiled like the nicest grandma ever. 

“Thank you, Mrs Kim.”

You hugged her tiny frame and she laughed, petting your hair.

“Everything will be okay.”

The certainty with which she said that made you believe it. 

You turned around and walked back to your hotel. 

“Okay, why are you not freaking out over my relationship?” 

_ That is very sus.  _

“Me?” Mrs Kim’s eyes suddenly burnt with definence.

“I was twenty in ‘75, dear, and I lived in the states at that time!”

The picture of a young Mrs Kim being a hippy living a wild life would never completely leave your mind. 

The next morning you texted Sehyoon.

“ _ I’m sorry that we didn’t talk last night. _ ”

You really were. Mrs Kim was right, it was not a normal situation for you but you were determined not to let every little thing bring you down. There was no point in it. You had known he had a boyfriend before you got into this relationship, so why be upset about it now. Whenever you spent time with him, it always felt like he was there with you, not somewhere else or with someone else. 

You called him again that evening and hearing his voice made your heart flutter. He talked about his day and you listened while snuggling up in bed. 

* * *

The rest of the conference passed and on Sunday you moved from the hotel to a bungalow about 10 minutes away. Mrs. Kim and your boss went back home that evening, so you were alone in your temporary beach house. It was small and the furnishing basic, but it would do. After a week surrounded by noise and people this was exactly what you needed. 

You spend your time lying on the beach under an umbrella, reading or sleeping, cooking and listening to music. The year had been stressful, but on the hot sand of the beach the only thing you had to worry about was sunburn and when to start cooking. 

The days passed fast under the burning sun, in the cool salty water and on the pages of the books you read in the shade. Saturday came and on that morning you went to the airport and got on your flight back home. As soon as the plane was in the air you fell asleep, very unusual for you, but welcome nethertheless.

Back home the rain fell from a steel grey sky and the cold was seeping in through every opening in your clothes. When you arrived at your apartment, you felt a bit tired, but glad to be home. It was cold and you turned up the heat while taking a hot shower to warm up. You slipped into the warmest sweater and pants that you owned and opened your fridge. Unfortunately you-from-the-past had thrown everything away that would have spoiled over two weeks so there was not a lot in there.  _ Going to the shop now?  _ You sighed.  _ Not very appealing. It’s so cold and I just wanna snuggle under my blanket.  _

Your phone vibrated.

“ _ Are you home yet? :) _ ” -Sehni

“ _ Yes. _ ”

“ _ Good.” _

_ What does he mean ‘good’?  _ You still struggled to decide if you should just eat rice with soy sauce or if you could bring yourself to go out again. 

The doorbell rang and you almost dropped your phone. You went to the door and opened it. Seeing Sehyoon was a punch in the gut in the best way possible. He leant against the door frame, softly smiling. 

“Hi.”

The phone had always dulled his nice tone but now his voice was like velvet to your ears and it made your heart pound. 

“Hi.” 

You whispered breathlessly. 

_ Apparently I had forgotten how good he looks, because damn.  _ His dark hair was parted in the middle falling stunningly around his gorgeous face. 

“Can I come in? I brought dinner!” 

He held up a bag and beamed at you. You realized that you had not moved out of the door because you had been staring. 

“Sure.” 

The food found a place on the table as he took his shoes and jacket off. His familiar perfume made your insides tingle and you swallowed hard when he came closer. 

“I missed you.”

Your eyes went from his eyes to his pink lips. 

“I missed you too.”

His hand cupped your cheek and your arms wrapped around his waist. Your lips were lightly pressed together and it was everything you had wanted for the past two weeks. His thumb gently brushed against your cheek and your hands ran over his broad back. Your lips slowly moved together and you felt lightheaded. The warmth of his body and the smell of his perfume were washing away the cold of the city. You could not tell how long the kiss had lasted but it ended when your stomach rumbled loudly. Sehyoon laughed and laid an arm around your shoulders. 

“Let’s get some food into you before you stave.“

He had brought food from your favorite restaurant and tasted even better because you had not eaten lunch.

“Ah, that was so good, thank you.” 

You smiled at Sehni and he laid his hand on the table like an offering. You took it and looked at him, but he avoided your eyes.

“There … is something I wanna tell you.”

He licked his lips.  _ What does he have to tell me? Something bad? Is he gonna break up with me?  _ Suddenly the food sleepiness left you and your heart beat hard in your chest. 

“I love you.” 

He looked up as if he expected a beating.

“What?”

You sounded dumb even to your ears. This was the last thing you had expected to hear tonight. 

“I love you.” 

The second time hit even harder and you squeezed his hand.

“Sehni..”

“It’s okay, if you can’t say it back. I’m not expecting you to say it right now, okay?” His grip around your hand tightened slightly and he pulled it closer, kissing the back of your hand. You felt stunned, incapable of doing anything.

“I missed you so much the past two weeks and I don’t want to be without you.”

You let the breath escape that you had been holding in and got up. He stood too and you crushed your lips together. The kiss was needy and heated. Your tongues moved against one another and your stomach clenched in anticipation. 

His hands moved to your ass and he lifted you up as if you weighed nothing. Your legs wrapped around his waist and the kiss stopped. He carried you over to the bedroom and let you sink onto the sheets. You locked eyes and you saw a dark fire burning in them. 

He laid down on top of you, his knees on both sides of your hips, his arms next to your head and you kissed again. Your hands wandered down his back to the hem of his shirt and under it. His skin was warm and soft, but you could feel the tension beneath that was stopping his weight from coming down on you. You wanted to feel more, to kiss his warm body everywhere and he seemed to want the same because he broke the kiss and stripped the shirt, almost annoyed. You had never seen him shirtless but you wanted to have a good look, so when he was about to lean forward again to continue devouring you, you stopped him by putting your hand flat on his chest. 

If you were not turned on already, you would have been then. He looked amazing, from the curves of his biceps to the planes of his stomach it made you want to run your hand over everything. And that was exactly what you did. 

You put your hands on his chest and the grin on his face was a little cocky. He licked his lips and lifted his hands behind his head, showing off his nice arms. The feeling of his hard muscles was amazing, but he got a little impatient and leaned down to kiss along your jaw, wandering down your neck. He lightly sucked at your skin and you moaned quietly. The collar of your shirt was pulled down and he kissed along your collarbone.

You gently pushed him off and got rid of your shirt. There was not much time to get embarrassed about being naked in front of him for the first time or feeling awkward because you had not put on a bra after the shower, because his hands and mouth were on you again. He gently cupped your breasts and continued kissing and licking from your neck down. When he reached your breast, his tongue circled the nipple and you sharply inhaled when he sucked it into his mouth. You arched your back off the mattress.

“Can you... bite it a little?” 

He looked up into your eyes while doing what you asked and your inner muscles clenched around nothing. Sehni moved to the other and the light pain of his bites made you needy. 

“Fuck me now.”

He ignored your plea and continued to suck and bite. The eye contact was the worse part though. His stare was intense in a way you could not quite grasp, as if he wanted to suck out your soul through your eyes. 

“Sehni…”

He ran his tongue around it, sucking and then bite a little harder. You gasped. After a last suck he let the beat up nipple slide out of his mouth. His lips were on yours again and his hard penis briefly pressed against your hips. 

“No long foreplay today?” It came out more like a statement than a question. You nodded and let your hand run down his body, but he stopped you before you could touch where you really wanted. 

“Don’t. It will be quick enough.”

“It will?”

He bit his lip.

“I waited so long and I really want to be inside you.”

Without breaking eye contact, you felt for the nightstand next to the bed and opened the only drawer. He saw and took a condom out before you could.

“Yes, I want that too.”

You both got rid of your pants and underwear as fast as possible. So far you had only felt his penis through his pants, but seeing it now made you want to wrap your mouth around it.  _ Not today though. _ Sehyoon rolled the condom on and brought your hips closer together. 

He entered you in one continuous movement until his hips were flush against yours. The sudden stretch was almost painful, but Sehni did not move so you had time to relax into the feeling. His forehead laid on yours and his arms were on both sides of your shoulders. You started kissing him and enjoyed the softness of his lips. 

When your muscles were not as cramped around him anymore, he started to move his hips. Slowly rolling them, before pulling out almost all the way. The thrusts were slow and fluid, each one brought your hips together again. 

“Sehni.”

He opened his eyes, but continued his gentle thrusts. 

“Harder, please.”

That brought his hips to a hold and he let out a low, quiet moan. 

“Okay.” 

You braced yourself but instead of a hard thrust, he pulled out and left you feeling empty. 

“Wha-?”

He pulled you more towards the middle of the bed and grabbed a pillow. 

“You were about to hit your head.”

The pillow was placed under your hips and he sat back on his feet. He ran the tip over your clit and down to your entrance, but did not slip in again, instead rubbing up and down some more. It was driving you insane. He leant forward and placed his elbow next to your head and his arm under it so his hand was on your other shoulder. Finally you were filled by him again and a little moan escaped you. 

“Tell me, when it is too much okay?” 

He ran his finger over your cheek and you nodded. 

The first few thrusts were tentative but already with more force than before. After that you understood the position change, if it was not for his arm holding you in place you would have definitely hit the headboard. The harsh slapping of his hips against yours was getting you closer fast. The force of the contact was almost painful, but you found yourself moaning into his ear. You had certainly been right about him having the hips to do this and you clenched around him for more. 

His movements became faster and your fingers pressed against his back . You felt the familiar tension build and clamped down tighter on him for a bit of extra friction. 

“I love you.” 

He whispered in your ear, his breathing labored. You let out a quiet shout and your body cramped.

“I love you so much.”

His thrusts became more erratic. Paired with his words and sweet moans they prolonged your high. He groaned and after some last, slow movements of his hips, he stilled. You relaxed around him and his head came to rest on your collarbone, he was breathing fast and a thin layer of sweat covered his skin. You kissed his shoulder and he hummed with content. After a few moments of catching his breath, he pulled out and sat up. 

“Did you come or do you want me to eat you out?” He licked his lips and sat up. 

“I’m good. Very” 

You smiled and he pecked your lips. 

“I’ll be right back.” 

He returned from the bathroom with a warm, wet washcloth and gently cleaned you with it. You slipped under the blanket when he brought the cloth back to the bathroom. The bed dipped on the other side and Sehyoon’s arms wrapped around you. 

“Sehni?”

He nuzzled your neck and felt his ‘hmm?’ more than you heard it.

“You said you waited for a long time, but didn’t you have sex with Byeongkwan in the mean time?” 

He tensed behind you and you felt his breath on your neck. 

“That’s different.”

You half turned around to look into his eyes. His hair fell softly onto the pillow and he studied your face.

“He can’t replace you.” 

Sehyoon’s voice was quiet and you turned around fully to face him. 

“And you can’t replace him.”

One of the websites you had read in the beginning had compared it to the relationship you had with your parents: two very distinct but different relationships, not interchangeable. 

“Just because I spent time with him, does not mean I don’t want to spend time with you.” 

You nodded slowly. Your hands touched and you wiggled your fingers between his. 

“There is something I wanna tell you.”

You squeezed his hand a bit tighter and ran your thumb over the back. 

“SomethingI realized when I was lying on the beach. I don’t wanna be without you either. I love you too.”

The love in his eyes jumped out so clearly that the blind could see it and you leaned in for a sweet kiss. 

“Is it okay, if I stay here tonight?”

“Who said I would let you go?”

You teased and he laughed. The best sound in the world. 

* * *

It was the last Monday in October when a reminder popped up on your phone. 

“ _ Jiyeon’s Wedding - Next week. _ ”

Some months ago, you had gotten an invitation to this event not sure what to make of it. You and Jiyeon had been in the same class in school but neither then nor after graduation had you been friends, so why did she want you at her wedding? May had suggested that she wanted to blow up the number of people who she invited. Her soon to be husband was the son of a rich businessman and the wedding would probably be a showcase of wealth more than anything else. For you this wedding was an opportunity to get an evening of free food and drinks but you were also a bit anxious. Even Though you had never been close, some part of you still cared what these people thought of you and there was one thing you had to avoid at all costs: looking like a wallflower. Yes, it was dumb and maybe irrational, but you did not want these strangers to think that you could not attract a partner. 

So when you met Sehyoon the next day for your customary Tuesday lunch you asked him if he would join you. 

“Wait, when is it again?”

He shoved a whole spoon full of rice into his mouth and looked at you.

“Next week, Friday”

“Oh.”

He put the spoon down to check his phone and pursed his lips.

“What?”

“I won’t be here next Friday, I have a family thing. I’ll be gone for a week.”

Your shoulders slumped.  _ I can’t go alone to this wedding. Jiyeon will have a field day if she finds out that I have been there alone. _

“I’m sorry.”

Sehyoon took your hand and gently squeezed it.

“No, it’s okay.”

It sounded like a lie.

“I will just ask May…”

“Wait, I have an idea!”

He took his phone and dialed a number.  _ More like calling someone who he has on speed dial.  _ You heard the faint ringing as Sehni absentmindedly poked his food with his spoon. The called person picked up after two rings.

“Hey, what are you doing Friday next week?”

The answer was too quiet for you to understand.

“Okay, then can you accompany my girlfriend to a wedding? I don’t want her to go alone.”

There was a pause before the answer to the question.  _ Sehyoon, who are you selling me off to? _

“Awesome, you will have a lot of fun together, for sure. See you later, okay?”

_ ‘I will see you later’ who...? _

“I love you too.”

_ Oh.  _ He hung up and laid his phone face down on the table.

“I got you a date to the wedding.” 

He beamed, clearly very pleased with himself. 

“Kwanie will go with you, just text him when and where, okay? You two will have so much fun.”

His eyes sparkled at the thought of you and his boyfriend having fun together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This chapter is for me, who is sad that summer vacation did not happen this year.)  
> This was for the part of the fandom that wants Sehni to take them hard.


	3. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to the wonderful [AleXing1061](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AleXing1061) for beta reading this!

After lunch you went back to work, but your heart was not in it.  _ We met like two times and I’m supposed to spend a whole day with Byeongkwan? He hates me. Last time I saw him he just ignored me. _ __

You got up from your desk and went to the small kitchen.  _ Why did I not say no? _

The kitchen was empty and the smell of dried coffee hit you. Despite the fancy coffee machine the dark liquid that came out barely passed as coffee and was in general only slightly better than dishwater. Still, today you needed something warm and containing caffeine.  _ Why did he not say no?  _

At your desk you saw that May had asked over text, if you two could meet. May wanted to spend some time with you and it made you realize how long you had not seen her. Her work had her tied up for that week and much of the next so you decided to meet on Saturday evening, the day after the wedding.

You were busy at work for the rest of the week to the point where your work hours seemed too short for all the work. It was exhausting and days flew by until Friday came around. Sehyoon came over to spend the night at your place and you clung to him the whole time, trying to store as much of his touch as possible, before he went away to his parents. 

“How about this?” 

He turned around and your decrepit bed creaked. His back was facing you and your hand was pulled to his chest. Smiling, you buried your nose in his hair and proceeded into the position of big spoon. Sehyoon giggled and snuggled more into your embrace. 

“I like being the little spoon.”

You fell asleep to the steady sound of his breathing and the smell of his hair.

* * *

He looked at your hand then into your eyes.

“I can’t eat like this.”

He laughed and tried to wiggle his hand out of your grip. It was Thursday and you asked Sehyoon to eat lunch with you before he really had to leave that evening. 

“I will feed you.”

It was a joke, but he leant forward and looked at you expectedly. 

The soup seemed a too risky choice, you did not want to spill the hot liquid onto your cute boyfriend, so you settled for a spoonful of rice and some meat on top. He opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the spoon. The smile on his face was adorable and he made noise that reminded you of a purr. 

“That was nice, but I’m really hungry.”

“Okay, okay.”

You let go of his hand, so he could finally stuff his face.  _ Tomorrow I’m gonna spend a lot of time with Byeongkwan …What am I going to do?  _ You dreaded the following day but it was unavoidably close now.

Between two bites Sehyoon said:

“I won’t be gone for long. It’s just a week.”

_ I will miss your cute face.  _ He could not visit his family often because of his work and the fact that they lived far away. Some of his relatives that he had not seen in years would be there and he had been buzzing with anticipation all week. 

“What is it?”

“Hmm? Oh, It’s nothing.”

He sat the spoon down and looked into your eyes. There was no point in telling him your worries, it would just make it more awkward, if Byeongkwan heard anything from Sehyoon. 

“Really, it’s nothing. Just come back in one piece, okay?”

He pouted but did not press you for a real answer. 

* * *

It was here, the day of the wedding. You had taken the day off because you could, and had slept in. The actual ceremony would take place with just the family and inner circle of the bride and groom. For everyone else the wedding started with the reception. 

You had bought a nice card and put some money in it, just because it was customary. It was not like they did not swim in money, still coming empty handed did not feel right. You got dressed and did your make up.  _ At least there will be free food and free booze. I can get through anything with that.  _

For the bridesmaids there was a set color but as you were not one of them you could choose your own dress and this one was particularly nice. Its shape and color fit you well, making you feel better about yourself. 

You left your apartment and headed for the bus stop. Outside it was warmer than you had expected but the cold was hiding in the shadows from the weak sun. The bus came on time and you sat down. It was moderately filled with people coming off work and students on the move from school to private tutoring. The ride was not too long and you walked the rest of the way to the villa that was the venue for the party. 

Byeongkwan was supposed to meet you there, _ if  _ he showed up.  _ Maybe I will be alone.  _ The gravel of the pathway that lead up to the villa sounded almost like snow and had the same color.  _ Wouldn’t it be better if he didn’t come?  _ The massive building was surrounded by a rambling garden that would have looked beautiful in spring, but now most of the trees had lost their leaves and the grass had turned a sickly shade of green. 

Near the door stood a group of people who talked and laughed while smoking. You did not know any of them and it became painfully obvious to you that you did not actually know anyone at this party. Maybe there were some people from school but not the ones you had been close with. 

_ Should I wait here or go inside? _ The looks of the people near the door made you feel cold and you decided to go inside.

The entrance hall was filled with chatter from the mass of dark suits and colorful gowns. Its high ceiling added an unpleasant echo and made you feel tiny. On the left you spotted the cloakroom and you left your thick coat with the bored lady behind the counter. On the other side of the room a table was sat up in front of a door and you went over to check what it was for. 

“Hello, name please.”

The older woman that sat at the desk radiated polite annoyance. She did not even look up at you but only stared on the list in front of her. You told her your name and she checked the list. 

“Ah, there you are.”

She made a check mark behind your name. It was the second. 

“Your seat is at table ten, have fun.”

The woman gave you the most fake smile you had seen in some time and went back to checking her phone.

“Thank you…”

You entered the main hall that was filled with tables. They surrounded a free area and a small stage. Some of them were already filled by people, most were older, maybe the bride and groom’s relatives. Each of the tables was set with big flower bouquets, multiple different sized plates and an assortment of cutlery. A card with a number was placed between the flowers and you looked around for your table. On the other side of the room, near a back door to the garden was table number ten and it was not empty. 

He was one of the prettiest people you had ever seen in your life, putting even the flowers on the table to shame. From the delicate face and full lips to the light brown eyes and the hair of the same color that was styled to the front in soft waves reaching his eyebrows, he was beautiful. He wore a dark gray suit that made him stand out in all the black, a white shirt and a lighter gray tie with a gleaming silky texture that was tied perfectly. It felt like you saw him,  _ really  _ saw him, for the first time.

“You’re here already.”

It came out more like a question and Byeongkwan looked up, the shadow of a smile appearing on his face. 

“Hi, yes, I got here early.”

His voice was deep but soft. You could see the tension in his shoulders and began to feel awkward and out of place. You sat down next to him and started to fiddle with your clutch bag.  _ Oh boy, this will be a long evening. _

“How was your trip?”

“I took the bus. It was okay.”

“Good.”

His phone sat on the round table upside down next to a fork in the gap between two seats. The flowers smelled of summer and the folded napkin looked a little like a christmas tree, both were out of place at a wedding like the two of you. You nodded absentmindedly not knowing what to say or what to do, the awkwardness blossomed in the silence between you.  _ I need to get away and come up with a plan. _

“I will get something to drink, if you don’t mind.”

You jumped out of your seat and fled to the small bar next to the door without waiting for an answer. On your way in you had not seen it, because people had stood in front but now there was no line. 

_ Should I get him something too? That would be the nice thing to do. _ You picked up two glasses of champagne and inspected them. _ Damn, this is above my paygrade. _ The barkeeper had made them a little too full for your taste, you did not need to be tipsy before the food even came. _ Maybe a little alcohol will make it less awkward? _

The room was starting to fill and the noise from the entrance hall flooded in. You wondered if the Bride and Groom had arrived yet, but so far you had not seen them. When you came back to the table, three older women had sat down and they seemed to be a big contributor to the noise level, which was a curse and a blessing. You could get away with not talking to Byeongkwan because it was nearly impossible to have a conversation next to those three, on the down side you had to listen to them. One of them was a self-proclaimed genius, when it came to playing the lottery. She knew everything about it went to great lengths to voice her disdain for shops that sold tickets but were not as well versed as her. 

“... and he just looked at me and had  _ no idea _ how that works. Can you believe that?”

Her two friends gasped and joined in on complaining about this poor employee. You took a sip from your champagne and side eyed Byeongkwan, who sat on the edge of his chair, bent over with his elbows on the table. Cheering erupted for the door and the bride and groom entered. 

Jiyeon wore a tight, white dress that fanned out at the bottom and her husband was dressed in a dark tuxedo. They sat down at a table next to the stage with their parents and then it was time for speeches. 

The first speaker was a business partner of the groom's father and he reminisced about the time when he first met the groom as a little boy and how well he had grown up. He finished by wishing the happy couple all the best in their marriage and the next person took the stage. This guy was also a business partner of the groom's father and his speech was annoyingly similar to the one before. You were thankful for your almost empty champagne and the bottle of water the waiter had brought, because at least you had something you could do while the next old dude took the stage to tell the same story again. From time to time you glanced at Byeongkwan whose face was a mask of neutrality. You could not tell if he was bored or annoyed or anything else because he was not showing anything. The only hint you got was the tension in his shoulders. 

The best man was up next and his speech was accompanied by a slideshow that somehow made it even more boring than the speeches before. The father of the bride was the last person to speak and he was clearly pleased to marry his daughter off into a family with this amount of influence. He closed with a toast to the married couple and when he sat down a swarm of waiters started to serve the entree. A plate with soup arrived in front of you and you immediately worried about your dress. It was a thick, rich and almost unnaturally orange pumpkin soup that would surely stain everything it touched. You slowly lifted your spoon and lightly blew on the hot liquid. It was warm just the right amount of salty to be satisfying. 

The three women had started talking again. Well, two of them had, the third one blatantly stared at Byeongkwan and you followed her gaze to find nothing particularly out of the ordinary. He was still ravishing. 

* * *

Next up was a grilled fish dish which went down very well with the white wine the waiter had brought. You felt full and the prospect of more food was not appealing but thankfully, mercifully there was a pause. People got up from their seats and visited other tables to talk. The three women became four as someone from another table joined yours. 

“... and she is 28 years old. At that age I had a husband and a child but she has neither.”

The fourth woman complained about her daughter. 

“I hope she finds someone soon. I want some grandchildren.”

The other joined in dragged the poor daughter for not wanting to have kids and you felt sorry for someone you did not even know.  _ Let the poor woman live. And didn’t you just say your younger daughter is not allowed to be near men? How is she supposed to get a husband when she can’t date?? _

“She found a boyfriend too, even if he is not very manly.” 

“Yes, she brought him so he could see what a real wedding is supposed to look like.”

They whispered loudly.

“Wedding…”

Byeongkwan echoed under his breath and you looked up at him. His pink lips were just a thin line now and he grabbed the glass of wine in front of him, downing the rest of it in one go. He got up and marched to the door that led into the garden.

You stared at the door as it closed behind him.  _ Were they talking about me and Byeongkwan?  _ Your chair scratched audibly over the wooden floor as you shot up and bolted for the door. Biting cold and darkness greeted you on the other side. The sloping, white gravel path was lit by occasional lamp posts.  _ Where did he go? _

You followed the way rubbing your arms and searching in the night. The patch of grass area was on a small terrace, the path winding around it, descending below it. Byeongkwan sat at the edge of the terrace, his feet dangling freely in the air. 

“Byeongkwan…” 

He glanced over his shoulder but turned back when he recognized your voice.

You sat down next to him on the cold stone. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Your voice was quiet, but in the near silence of the garden still too loud. He stared at the path below and sighed. 

“You don’t have to be.”

“Yes, I should be.”

_ This is so frustrating. _

“It is my fault you are here at this boring  _ sales event  _ and…” 

You looked at your hands.

“..I just…”

A bitter taste was in your mouth and you felt sick.

“I was terrible to you.”

Your voice was thin and the shame that you felt was noticeable in it. In the garden not even the traffic from the bigger streets was audible, at the same time the words that you said next did not leave the bubble of light you sat in. 

“I’m just so… intimidated by you.”

His head shot in your direction and you instinctively locked eyes with him. 

“You. Are intimidated. By  _ me _ ?”

He looked at you as if that was the most ridiculous thing anyone had ever said and your shoulders slumped. You wanted to hide, to curl into a ball and vanish. 

“Why?”

The rushing of your blood drowned out the silence of the garden and you felt hot. Your face felt hot. The last leaf of the small bush on the other side of the path was swaying in the wind. He said your name in a soft voice that made your heart skip a beat. You looked up and he looked into your eyes. The light brown was still fascinating but you could not stand looking into his eyes for long. You sighed.

“You’re gorgeous and I’m afraid that you hate me. I … you and Sehni have been together for a long time and I feel like I'm butting in where I'm not supposed to be. He loves you so much… You even live together and I … me ..”

You felt drained and cold. 

“You’re afraid to be the third wheel.”

_ What have I done? I said all that out loud? Oh no. Oh, this will have some bad consequences. Why did I say that?  _

“Sehni…” Byeongkwan’s voice sounded soft. “Before we got together, he only had girlfriends.” 

He took his time picking out the next words.

“I was pretty scared, when he said he liked you that he would just leave me.” 

“Excuse me?? He literally gave you heart eyes when I was right there??”  _ This is preposterous. Sehni loves you so much, you idiot. _

Now, for the first time, or so it felt, he looked at you, really looked you in the eye. 

“I guess i’m an idiot.”

Your anger fizzed out and you sighed loudly.

“We are both idiots. Instead of being happy we make ourselves miserable.” 

Now that the hot flash of anger and embarrassment was over the cold really hit you and you rubbed your bare arms. Byeongkwan jumped down from the wall and held up his arms offering to help you down.

“Come, we wasted enough time being miserable. Let’s have some fun tonight!”

You nodded and slid off the wall into his arms. He caught you by the waist, his hands surprisingly strong. Suddenly you were close and the warmth that radiated from him made a shiver run down your spine. 

“Let’s go. Fast!”

He let go of your waist and you started walking up the path. You heard a rustling of fabric on fabric and a moment later something warm was wrapped around your shoulders. You almost ran the way back to the door, pulling Byeongkwan’s jacket tight around your shoulders but he was faster and open the door for you. At the table another course had appeared while you had been outside that the women had already inhaled. You sat down in the warmth of your seat and Byeongkwan pulled his chair a bit closer. 

“You're so cold.” He rubbed your arms from over the jacket that was still draped over your shoulders. It felt nice being taken care of and you smiled to yourself. A burden had been lifted off your shoulders and you were weightless. The room was warm and the jacket smelled nice. 

“What perfume is this?” 

You looked at Byeongkwan and realized who close your faces were. 

“It’s one of Sehni’s.” 

_ That’s why it’s familiar, but it smells different when Byeongkwan is wearing it.  _

The melting sorbet in front of you was still waiting and you had mercy on it. 

“How do you know the bride and groom?” His voice was very close and just loud enough to be audible over lottery ladies newest story.

“Jiyeon went to school with me but we haven’t really talked that much.” 

The waiter brought the next course, a slab of beef with some rice dish on the side. After this you felt like you were about to burst and it was not even the last course. There was still cake. 

The bride and groom cut the five story monstrosity of a cake and distributed a few pieces themselves before handing it the task over to a waiter. 

“Do you want to get married?”

Byeongkwan looked at you and raised an eyebrow.

“Are you asking?”

“..I..no..that’s not what I meant..”

A smile broke on his face.

“Are you laughing at me, yah!” 

You slapped his arm lightly and he stifled a laugh. His expression became more sober and he said:

“It’s not that easy…”

You studied his face. Despite his attempt at a humorous deflection of the topic it was a touchy subject.

“Right.”

After the eating had stopped it was time for the party. A band unveiled their instruments and started to do some last sound checks. The first dance belonged to the married couple, but when the second song began others joined the 

“Let’s dance!” 

Byeongkwan stood up and held out his hand for you. He was beaming. 

“But I can’t dance.”

_ I don’t wanna embarrass myself in front of everyone.  _ The thought was somewhat as three women had taken to the dancefloor and looked like they had never moved their bodies before.

“Good thing that I’m a dance teacher then.”

He wiggled his fingers and smiled encouragingly.

“I don’t..”

“Come on~! Please”

He pouted and gave you puppy eyes. The cuteness with which he said this made it hard to say no and you caved. Hand in hand he led you to the dance floor.

* * *

“Give me your hands.”

You did as he asked and he laid one of them on his shoulder while the other rested in his hand. His other hand was on your waist pulling you closer. 

You concentrated on what he said and tried your best not to step on his feet. Not an easy task as it turned out.

“Oh god, I’m sorry.”

“It’s all good.”

The band played three mid tempo songs and by the end of the second one you thought.  _ I’m actually doing a decent job at this. This is more fun than I expected. _

Byeongkwan smiled, grabbed both of your hands and made you do a turn. Laughing, you turned once one direction and back in the other. 

“Oh very nice! You’re doing so good.”

He beamed at you. The normal lights had been dimmed and colored stoplights bathed the room with a dreamlike glow. Byeongkwan made you do another turn but this time he stopped you. Your arms were crossed as he still held your hands and your back was touching his chest. His breath tickled your neck and you felt the thumping of your heart. It was just a moment before you turned back and his expression had not changed. 

The song ended and the band started a slow piece. Some people left the dancefloor a few others joined, but overall it was less crowded now. Byeongkwan was still holding your hands and laid them on his shoulders. His hands came down to your waist and he brought them closer together, pushing you a little bit closer to him. Your heart jumped when you realized how close your faces were. Feeling too awkward to look at him, you rested your head on his shoulder. Now the dancing was more swaying from side to side while slowly going in a circle. The perfume still lingered on the rich fabric of his suit jacket and it made your insides tense. There was something about it that always had this effect on you. 

“Did you...ever have a girlfriend?”

The music was loud enough that people around you did not hear what you whispered into his neck.

“Yes.”

“Really?”

For some reason you had assumed the answer would be no.

“My first relationship was with a girl from my class.” 

His voice was soft and quiet. You looked up and met his eyes. 

“In general I like guys more but some women are nice too.”

You did not know what to say to that but you felt a blush creep up from your neck to your cheeks as you looked into his eyes. 

* * *

“My feet hurt.” 

The light in the bus was too bright for your taste but sitting down felt amazing. 

“That’s how you know you did it right.” 

Byeongkwan slid into the seat next to you. The bus was pretty empty at this hour, as most party goers were still dancing and drinking in the clubs. Only a few tired looking people dozed in the other aisles. 

“Where do you have to get off?”

“I’m gonna get you home.” 

He ran a hand through his hair. 

“Oh. You don’t have to.”

You did not know where he lived but even Sehyoon’s apartment was a 30 minute walk away. 

“I want to.”

Your sleepy, tipsy brain had no power to argue with him. 

The bus began moving and the lights were dimmed. The city lights outside the window flowed by. Some streets were almost as bright as in the middle of the day, others were draped in darkness. Byeongkwan laid his head on your shoulder and his soft hair brushed against your neck.

“You know what I got?” 

“Hm?”

He pulled out a flower. It was one that had been in the bouquet on your table. 

“You stole a flower?”

If you had thought of that you would have done the same, although you would never admit it out loud.

“They will just throw them away…”

You tried to give him a stern look, but you could not see his face properly.  _ No one would notice anyway, if one of the flowers was missing. _

“Is it for me?”

He pouted. 

“I like flowers.”

You laughed at his cuteness.  _ How can a grown man be this cute? It should be illegal.  _

“I’m gonna get you some next time.”

He nodded into your shoulder as he gently ran his thumb over the petals of the flower. They looked silky soft and you wanted to touch them too. In spring you had visited a well kept park and had spent a nice, quiet day looking at the flowering trees and at the visitors that flew from flower to flower. 

“I love butterflies,” you blurted out. Another passenger, a young woman dressed in a tight dress and loose coat gave you an odd look. 

“You know, they have a lot of them at the botanical garden. It’s really pretty.”

You had never been at the botanical garden nor did you know where it was. As an afterthought he add:

“We should go there.”

Byeongkwan lifted his head and looked at you with puppy eyes but you did not need any convincing.

“OMG, yes, that sounds awesome!!”

He beamed, you took each other’s hands and made high pitched excited noises. You both laughed and ended up awkwardly hugging in your seats. The young woman stared daggers with her eyes at the noise you were making and you looked away a bit embarrassed. 

Byeongkwan pulled you closer and you laid your head on his shoulder. 

* * *

When the bus finally arrived at your stop you both got out and were immediately met with biting cold. The street was empty and quiet. Only the convenience store at the corner was still illuminated at this hour. It was not far to your building and you walked as fast as possible without breaking into a run. The main entrance was dark but the lights came to life as you opened the front door. You took the stairs to your apartment and you unlocked the door. 

“Thank you for coming with me to the wedding.” 

_ I had had more fun than I expected today. Turns out Sehyoon’s boyfriend is easy to be around.  _ It should not have been a surprise that he was in a relationship with someone as nice as Byeongkwan. He hummed in agreement.

“I’m glad we had a talk and I had a wonderful evening after.” 

Byeongkwan’s honest statement made your face feel hot. 

“It was nice for me too.”

You still stood in the door and looked at him. With his slightly disheveled hair and fancy coat he looked like a rich heir right out of a drama, just with the difference that he looked like he was about to fall asleep and more importantly that he was real. He hugged you tightly before going off into the night.

* * *

The next morning you woke up at 10 am, surprisingly early, feeling rested but with still hurting feet. The hot shower was a blessing and you slipped into your most comfortable clothes. The sun shone from a blue sky and you did not have any plans until your dinner date with May. It was a good morning. You made yourself tea and sat down on the couch when the harsh sound of the doorbell almost made you jump. 

“Who is there?”

_ I don’t expect anyone to come over?? _

“It’s Byeongkwan.”

_ Oh?  _ You opened the door for him. 

Today he reminded you of a fisherman. He wore a grey beanie, blue jeans, a thick, puffy coat and black boots. His light brown eyes sparkled and he just looked so  _ awake _ .

“Good morning.” 

You smiled and hoped you did not look too tired. Your body felt a bit heavy and some more sleep would actually be awesome.

“What are you doing here?”

His voice was slightly raspy this morning and the further he got into the sentence the most unsure he sounded.

“I thought we wanted to go to the botanical garden. So I came to pick you up.”

_ Today? Did I say that?? I don’t remember??? _

“Oh.” 

You were wearing sweats and were not mentally prepared for this. A growl from your stomach reminded you of something. 

“I haven’t had breakfast yet. You wanna come in?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This somehow ended up the only chapter without smut XD  
> (When I started writing this story I thought it would be two chapters, but after the first chapter I knew it would be three. The first draft was about 14k words long but half of that was chapter three lol So, this part, The Wedding, is the first half of the original 3rd chapter.)  
> I had the misfortune to witness the conversations that the three women had irl.


	4. A Tropical Date

Byeongkwan hung his coat next to the door and placed his boots next to your shoes. 

“Coffee? Tea?”

“Tea please.”

He stood near the door and did not move as you went to the kitchen. Your living room was more or less presentable, so you were not too worried about him looking around. Byeongkwan inspected the photos on your wall where you joined him as the water boiled in the kettle. 

”That’s my family.”

You pointed at the photo. It had been taken during the last joint vacation. 

“This is May, my best friend.”

The photo was pretty old and showed the two of you at university. Usually you did not pay much attention to the photos. They were just there, snapshots of memories. Forever frozen right there on the wall. Before the nostalgia could fully settle in, the kettle announced that the water was boiling. 

“I usually eat cereal for breakfast, but I also have some rice and side dishes in the fridge.” 

You sat the mugs on the table and looked at Byeongkwan.

“I already ate. Thank you.”

“Okay.”

You prepared a bowl with your breakfast and sat down across from him at your small table. It was odd sitting there with him because Sehni had sat there in the morning last time he had stayed over. Apparently it was not your spot to sit in. 

“I don’t think I asked yesterday but you said you are a dance teacher?”

Byeongkwan nipped at his tea and nodded. 

“I started dancing in middle school and when I was in university the director offert me a full time job as dance instructor.”

_He must be really good, if they just hired him like that._

“What do you teach?”

“I work a lot with backup dancers but sometimes it’s fun to teach beginners.”

He smiled at you, but you were not sure if he was teasing you or not. The previous evening it had been very fun to dance with him and even you, who did not know much about dancing had noticed how well he moved. The eyes of the other guests had certainly been on him. 

“I also worked with the choreographers and I would like to focus more one it.”

“Really? That’s so cool.”

Maybe it came out a bit sarcastic, but you meant it. You were in awe about Byeongkwan. 

After breakfast you excused yourself and went to your bedroom to get dressed. It was probably cold outside, but you would also spend time inside, so you settled for layers: a tank top, a thin long sleeve shirt, a thicker sweater and a pair of not so flattering but comfortable jeans. They would keep the cold out and the warmth in. 

When you came to the kitchen you saw that Byeongkwan had washed your dishes because they were drying next to the sink. He caught you staring at the bowl and mugs.

“I hope that’s okay, I didn’t have anything to do…”

“You didn’t have to, You’re my guest -”

“It’s okay.”

He stepped into your personal space and your heart leaped. His hands ran over your arms leaving a tingling feeling where they touched and he lightly grabbed your shoulders.

“It’s really okay.”

His voice was a serious whisper but the expression on his face was so soft the breath caught in your throat. You nodded because it was the only thing you could do without losing your composure. _Does he notice how he is affecting me? Why is he affecting me like this?_

You cleared your throat and he let go of your shoulders abruptly. 

“Shell we go then?”

* * *

The botanical garden was almost on the other side of town and it took you about 45 mins to get there. The garden was maintained by the university and the entrance was free to everyone. You had never been there but vowed to come back in spring. Outdoors the botanical garden was dominated by the hilly terrain of this area. There were few isolated patches of flat ground and most of it in the form of terraces. The entrance was up on the hill and you could see an artificial pond further down in the depression between the small hills of the garden. Directly in front of you were stones with plants growing between them. From the signs next to them you gathered that this was the section with plants from the mountainous regions of the world. In the middle of the garden, situated on the top of a hill was a gigantic glass building and from it several smaller ones branched out.

It was cold and you could not wait to get somewhere inside. The cobbled path lead straight to the palm house. The most trees left and right the path were leafless, only the evergreens looked as if they were still alive. You could see an old couple walking the ground by the pond, stopping from time to time to read the signs. 

You reached the palm house and entered the cold lobby. There was not much difference between here and the outside. Just less windy. The lobby was more a hallway really. It connected the main building on the right to the smaller rooms to your left. A sign read “Desert and Subtropics” and pointed to the left. 

“Here.” 

Byeongkwan gestured to the right. There was a glass door but it was forged and you could not see what lay behind it. You went through the door and it was immediately so much warmer that you took off your coat. In front of you was another door. Byeongkwan closed the door behind you and you went ahead. 

It was as if you had instantly teleported to a different place. Warm, humid air hit your face and crept into your clothes, driving out the cold. Trees. So many trees. Some of them were as high as a three story house, some just 3 to 4 meters. The area around the roots was filled with smaller plants, filling every gap with life. A tree nearby was home to an orchid that had slung itself around its trunk. 

You took off your jacket and stepped further into the palm house that almost did not feel like a man made structure, if it was not for the stone path and the faucets that came out of the ground in set intervals.

“Wow.”

You were stunned by the beauty of the plants especially compared to the desolate view outside. 

“It’s awesome!”

You turned to Byeongkwan smiling and he beamed at you in return. He had taken off his coat and sweater too. 

“I think it’s on the other side.” 

He gestured vaguely in the direction of the jungle ahead. The stone path forked into three different ways. You followed the path on the left, stopping every few meters to read the signs. A more detailed one was about vanilla plants. They are the only orchids used for preparing food and liked hot, wet climates. They are native to Mexico, the Caribbean, northern South America, and Central America. Others were cocoa and cinnamon trees. The section of the area was apparently dedicated to crops and other useful plants.

You followed the path further and sometimes you heard a noise that sounded like some sort of bird but you did not see any birds. As you turned a curve you saw a sign next to a metal staircase that read: “Tree top view - Climb at your own risk”.

“Do you wanna go up there?”

Byeongkwan‘s eyes sparkled and even though you were a bit afraid you nodded.

“Yes, let’s go.”

The stairs wound up in a tight circle and the higher you climbed the warmer it got. 

“Look!”

Byeongkwan pointed at something. There were little ponds between the trees that you had not seen because of the vegetation. The ponds were connected by tiny streams, some of them even had little bridges where they crossed the pathways. You continued your way up.

You could see the highest point of the glass ceiling now and it was fogged. The water was forming droplets that ran down the sides of the building. The little platform at the top of the stairs was indeed higher than the tree tops, but somehow made them seem even more impressive. 

“It’s fascinating how they can grow this tall...” 

“They should tell me their secret.”

Your laughter echoed over the green dome under the platform. There was not much space to move between the two of you on the platform. When you stood by the railing, looking down in the direction you were heading earlier, Byeongkwan stood behind you, almost touching. You secretly wished he _would_ casually touch you. 

The way down was scarier than the way up as you could now see the ground far below through the little holes in the stairs. The steps were wet from condensation and even though they were not slippery, you still sighed in relief when your feet were savely back on the solid ground. 

You continued to follow the stone path through an increasingly dense forest. The trees here grew more tiled, leaning into the path and you had to dodge the low hanging branches. The dense foliage overhead blocked more of the winter sun and made it seem like it was dusk already. Behind a turn in the path there was another door. 

“I think this is it.”

You went through a set of double doors just like the ones at the entrance. They led to a short hallway that connected the main building to a smaller one. There the air was still warm but less humid and smelled of something sweet. When you entered the room you were sure to be in the right place. It was filled with flowers and an artificial pond dominated the scene. 

“Look!”

Dozens of colorful butterflies filled the air. They flapped soundlessly around, from flower to flower or just sat on the leaves of plants. There were five other people in the room but you did not pay attention to them and sat down on a bench next to a bush where a particularly big butterfly sat. It slowly opened and closed its wings that looked fragile as if the next gust of wind could destroy the delicate patterns of colors. It crawled around on the leaf as if looking for something. Usually bugs were not your favorite thing but butterflies were different. Their vividly colored wings and cute antenne made it hard not to like them. 

“Psst, look at me.”

You could not tell how much time had passed but Byeongkwan’s voice brought you back to present. Looking around you saw him standing unnaturally still by the pond. A butterfly had landed on his hair and it almost looked like he had a very life-like hair clip.

“Don’t move! I’ll get a photo!”

You sneaked closer and pulled out your phone. Barely two photos in the little bug decided the photo shoot was over. It flattered off to join the other butterflies in their dance overhead.. 

“Aww. Don’t leave, little guy.”

Not even the pout on your face could bring it back. 

“Did you get a photo?”

Byeongkwan stepped closer and stretched a bit. You looked at the photos in your camera roll. One of them was a bit blurry but the other one looked awesome. In it he smiled cutely, eyes sparkling and the butterfly made him look even cuter. 

“Yes, here!”

You turned the screen so he could see and Byeongkwan inspected the image. 

“This one is a bit blurry but-”

With a swipe of your finger the other photo appeared.

“This one is cute.”

He smiled and locked eyes with you. 

“You’re cute,” you blurted out. A snort was his only answer, but you felt your face getting hot. You did not want to look at him so you busied yourself with sending the photo to Sehyoon. 

“ _We’re at the botanical garden and Byeongkwan found a new friend_.”

The picture was really cute and you decided to set it as Byeongkwan’s photo in your contacts. 

You walked around the room, looking at the flowers and watching the butterflies. The room was one of those places where people were instinctively quiet and you felt a deep peace settle into you. 

Back in the palm house you were greeted by the humid air and by a concert of chirping. 

“Shall we go left again? So we see the other side?”

He nodded and you started to strole along the path. Here the trees shielded more of the weak winter sun and their branches hung low. It was almost dark and you felt Byeongkwan take your hand gently. You did not say anything but your heart hammered in your chest. 

It felt like walking outside in a tropical forest but the feeling of his hand holding yours was distracting. All the beautiful plants passed by without you actually noticing them because his thumb rubbing over the back of your hand was everything. 

The lobby was unbearably cold compared to the palm house and you wrapped yourself into your coat again. You watched as Byeongkwan covered up and you did not want him to go. Even though you had spent the better part of the last day with him, it was not enough. 

“I’m gonna meet my friend for dinner. You can come if you want.”

May did not know anything about this as you had just decided you wanted to bring him along. _I hope you don’t mind, May._

He looked up and scanned your face. _Was this too much??_

“Yes, I would like that.” 

* * *

“It’s over there.”

You pointed at the restaurant where you would meet May soon. The text you had sent her about your plus one was still on “unread” and you were worried that she would not be okay with this. 

The sun had set and the cold had crawled out of the shadows clawing at your clothes. You waited in front of the restaurant, a homely, little place that did not look like much from the outside, and truthfully not from the inside either. May and you had been here several times because of its cheap, yet good food. 

“Hey!”

The shout almost made you jump and you turned around to see May sprinting towards you. Taking on a secure stance you braced yourself for a bone crushing hug. May threw her arms around you and you held her tight. 

“Hey, I missed you so much!!”

She laughed, her cheerful laughter, a wonderful sound. After you let go of each other she turned to Byeongkwan.

“Hi, I’m May and you are … Sehyoon?”

 _Right. I never showed her a photo, she doesn’t know what he looks like._ Byeongkwan smiled, unconcerned, and introduced himself. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Byeongkwan.”

May gave you a look like “ _I'm lost. Who is this?”_ but before you could say anything Byeongkwan said:

“Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”

He opened the door and slipped inside.

“He is Sehyoon’s boyfriend.”

“Oh-uh.”

When you entered, the smell of food hit you and your mouth watered instantly. The restaurant was not very full yet and you sat down at one of the shabby tables away from the door. The interior looked like always: The furniture had seen better days so had the old women who came to the table and handed you the menu. You ordered food and drinks as more people began to flog the place. 

“How was your first week?”

May had recently started working at a new company because she had been miserable at the old one. Her colleagues had always used her, the youngest member of the team, as the scapegoat for everything, which had resulted in her decision to leave. May recounted her first days and sounded hopeful that things would be better there. Your drinks came and you finally had something you could fill your growling stomach with. 

“So, how was the wedding?”

She sipped at the drink and looked at you then at Byeongkwan. Of course you had told her about your concerns regarding that event and your company there. You had been convinced that Byeongkwan hated you and almost did not show up. What a big mistake that would have been.

“It was better than expected.” You said honestly. It could have been the most dreadful evening but the man next to you had made it fun. 

“We had fun, I would say, do you agree?” 

“Yes.” 

Byeongkwan beamed at you and you could not help yourself but find him adorable. You could not tell what kind of expression was on May’s face but she looked from you to him and back. 

“Let’s go for some drinks!”

May was in the mood for drinking which also meant that you would end up in a club, dancing. You regretted already not having put on a nicer outfit, but the jeans and the tank top that you wore under the thick sweater and shirt had to do. 

The bar you eventually settled on was near a not-too-fancy club where you had been before. A wall of noise crashed into you as you entered the bar. It was packed and you wormed your way to a free space in the back. You got the first round of drinks and when you came back the other two were chatting animatedly. 

Byeongkwan was outgoing and managed to fit right in with you and your long time friend. The three of you laughed together and your slightly tipsy brain figured out what it was that both, you and Byeongkwan, had in common. You were both easy to talk to. Reserved Sehyoon on the other hand needed some time to warm up to people. He needed to be talked to first and would wait for you to make the first move. 

It was hard to tell how much time had passed when you left the bar to go to the club. Your senses were more dulled than before but you were thankful for it as you waited in line. Your feet still hurt a bit from the night before and sober it would have been terrible to dance now. Thankfully the queue moved fast and soon it was your turn to get judged by the bouncer. He was a tall, wide man in a thick jacket. 

“Ids.” The bouncer demanded boredly. 

Byeongkwan had his arms around you and May, but let go to get his id. 

The bouncer grunted his approval and you finally entered. You all left your coats at the cloak room and went to the dance floor. May was bouncing with energy and Kwanie was in his element, eyes shining. The music was too loud to hear any part well, but you felt the bass, letting your body do what felt right.

People started to stare. Some women ogled Byeongkwan and the guys who tried to hit on them looked annoyed, but who could blame them? The way he moved was mesmerising, powerful and delicate at the same time. You smiled like an idiot while watching him. _He is amazing._

May bought drinks and you found a small table that vacated as you approached. The couple that had sat there left urgently, not taking the eyes off each other. In the seating area it was slightly quieter, just enough that you did not have to shout. 

“Hi, can I have your number?”

No sooner had your butt touched the hard chair a woman had approached the table and looked expectantly at Byeongkwan. His eyes darted from the phone in her outstretched hand to her face and back. 

“Ah, I’m not looking for anything. Thanks.”

The sour expression did not suit her pretty face. Whatever she maybe wanted to say, she swallowed and left without another word. 

“Not to pry but why did you not give her your number? She was pretty.”

May slurred her words. _No more drinks for you, miss._

“I’m with two beautiful ladies already.”

She wrinkled her nose and you verbalized the feeling:

“Booh! That’s so cheesy! Come on.”

He laughed and you two joined him. 

* * *

The air outside hit you like a brick wall. It was cold and you tried to zip up your jacket. Unfortunately May had insisted on more drinks and you fought a losing war with the zipper. Everything felt it was too fast for you to react and your ears ringed from hours of loud music.

“Let me help you.”

Byeongkwan swatted away your hands and zippered you up. You said goodbye to May who seemed surprisingly sober or maybe just still pumped up. 

“Text me when you are home!” You yelled after her. 

You looked at Byeongkwan who seemed very tired. Bags had formed under his slightly bloodshot eyes. Sleeping felt like a dream but your apartment was pretty far away. 

“I will go then. Good night.”

You turned around to walk to the bus stop you believed to be around the corner. 

“No.” 

Byeongkwan grabbed your jacket sleeve. You almost lost your balance and stumbled. 

“You're drunk and I don’t want you to ride the bus alone.”

You wanted to protest that you were indeed sober enough, but that would have been a lie. Most likely you would simply fall asleep as soon as the lights on the bus would be dimmed. 

“Sehni’s place is close. Please stay there tonight.”

You had never been to Sehyoon’s place mainly because it was far away. It meant that you could sleep earlier, so you nodded and held onto Byeongkwan’s arm as he began walking.

The alcohol made you feel touch starved and needy. Holding his arm was good but you wanted more. _How nice would it be to wrap your arms around him?_ _What would it be like to kiss him?_ You had tried your best tonight not to give into the urge to kiss your friends, but it was still there and looking at the man beside you harder to resist. 

“You Okay?”

“Ehm..? Yes, just tired.”

Byeongkwan inspected your face but you averted your eyes quickly. _You really shouldn’t kiss him. Try to think about something else._

You entered an apartment building and went up with the elevator. Several doors lined the hallway. Byeongkwan stopped in front of one door that looked like the others and typed in a passcode. 

You followed him inside and closed the door behind you. The apartment was dark but he turned on a light. On the right side of the narrow entrance was a closet, on the left was a wall with a framed poster. It was warm and you clumsily pulled off your jacket. He opened the sliding door of the closet to hang his coat but this brought you closer together. You stared at his face. His cheeks were pink from the cold outside and his lips were so full they reminded you of cushions. 

“You have pretty lips.” 

You blurted out and your hand flew to your mouth when your brain finally registered what you had said. He snickered and took your jacket, hanging it as well. _Stupid brain saying stupid stuff._

“So you're that kind of drunk.” His eyes glitter with glee. “You want to kiss me.”

It was not even a question but a statement. _Oh boy. Deflect, deflect!_ With one step he was in your personal space, looking into your eyes. Your poor, tipsy brain had not caught up with what was happening and you were just stunned by the sudden intimacy. 

“I want to kiss you too.”

No thoughts needed, your body moved on its own accord. You flung your arms around his neck and crashed your lips together. All tension that had accumulated that evening melted and was replaced by an everything encompassing warmth. Byeongkwan’s lips, soft and full, made your stomach clench. His hand had moved into your hair. The kiss was a bit sloppy but nevertheless made your heart flutter. 

* * *

Waking up felt like slowly rising from a dark ocean towards the surface. Feeling returned to your body and you opened your eyes. You were in an unfamiliar place. A bedroom that was illuminated by the grey light of a cloudy morning. The bed was comfortable, with a warm blanket but the pillow was a bit too hard for your taste. On the left was a big, white closet with sliding doors. You lifted your head to look around but the motion was nausea inducing and you let your head sink back. _Damn May for making me drink so much._

“Are you awake?,” your pillow asked in a raspy voice. 

“Uhmm…”

 _Okay, how exactly did Byeongkwan become my pillow?_ He moved under you and turned onto his back. You were about to move away when his warm hand landed on your head and pressed your cheek gently down onto his chest. He typed on his phone with one hand while the other rested on your cheek, brushing over it. Encouraged by lack of hesitance, you snuggled closer and draped your arm over his belly. Your head hurt, your neck was stiff and your mouth felt dry but cuddling made it bearable. _Okay, so after the club we got here, we kissed, he gave me a t-shirt, I changed, we got into bed and fell asleep._

“Oh god, we kissed.”

He put his phone face down on his chest and looked at you as best he could. _Damn I said that out loud??? Shit._

“Hmm-”

How could you salvage this situation? It would have been better not to bring it up, but now the cat was out of the bag. 

“I’m sorry.”

That had not been what Byeongkwan had expected. You could feel his chest rise and fall, but his response took some time.

“For what?”

Not what you had expected. How could he be so calm about this? Was he just playing dumb?

“Kissing you. I shouldn’t have. I just...”

“Want to kiss people?”

He grinned.

“I know someone who is _way_ worse. His ex-girlfriend really didn’t like it, when she found out he kissed me while drunk.”

 _Apparently everyone wants to kiss him while drunk. So are you saying, you don’t want to kiss him sober?,_ another part of you interjected. Your hand flew to your mouth. 

“Oh, but Sehni?” You propped up on your elbow. 

“Oh, he got kissed too, but he doesn’t like kissing other people without...” He thought about what so saying. “being in a relationship with them.” You felt a pang of guilt. 

“No, I mean… I feel bad that I just … kissed you, when I’m his girlfriend.”

“Do you feel bad because you may have hurt his feelings or because it is against your own morals?”

You stared at him and blinked.

“That’s a hard question for this early in the morning.”

He laughed and smiled at you before picking up his phone. 

“If it’s the first, don’t worry I told him and his only reaction was ‘If you have sex, can I watch?’ that perv seriously.” 

You looked up at that and he met your eyes. His hair was disheveled and he had dark bags under his eyes, but still very beautiful. 

“Do you want to?”He tensed beside you. _That was a pretty forward question. I hope it wasn’t too weird of me to ask._

“Now?” 

There was a little panic in his voice. _Now? That does not sound like a good idea._

“No, in general.”

He relaxed and turned on his side facing you more. Now you were lying face to face in bed. Byeongkwan studied your face, his light brown eyes were still captivating. 

“Yes.”

The answer came very soft and your face burnt. 

“You’re amazing, intelligent, cute and attractive.”

 _Is he trying to see if I can turn into a tomato??_ He began to giggle.

“You’re the one to speak. Aren’t you the cutest person in the world?!” 

The fake outrage in voice made him laugh even more.

“And I saw you dance?? How dare you be so good and gorgeous?? And-” 

He wrapped his arms around your head and pulled you towards his chest to shut you up. 

It was a lazy Sunday after that, you showered, put on some clothes from the closet and had breakfast with Byeongkwan. You two ended up on the couch cuddling while watching some tv series. Unfortunately you had to do some housekeeping at your apartment so you packed your clothes. 

“I will text you, okay?”

He nodded as you stood at the same spot where you had kissed the night before. You hugged him and he put his arms around your waist. Even though you had basically done nothing else all day it still felt good to absorb his warmth. You pulled back a bit and your faces were close. He lightly pecked your lips, but they left as soon as they had come. 

“That’s it?” You pouted. He smiled and pecked you again. 

“Still not enough?” 

“Forget it” 

You tried to wiggle out of his grip and he laughed. His hand came up to the back of your head, pulled you closer and pressed his full lips to yours and moved slowly. It made your heart beat faster and your stomach flip. You melted into him a little, savoring the feeling. 

* * *

You were nervous about meeting Sehyoon again. He returned on Wednesday and would come to your apartment on Thursday evening. You wondered if your feelings had changed. You still were not sure how you felt about Byeongkwan, but it was undeniable that you felt attracted to him. After The weekend you spent together you had continued to talk over the phone. 

Sehni arrived at your apartment and the doorbell made you jump. He was stunning. The fluffy sweater accentuated his cute face and adorable sparkling eyes. He wore dark jeans that were tighter than what he would usually wear and you wondered if there was a specific reason for that. 

All worries about him being cross with you dissolved when he kissed you. The kiss was so sweet that you could not help yourself but smile into it. He was as cute and funny as always. 

You ate dinner together and he talked about his trip to meet his family while you talked about your weekend. The wedding, your date with Byeongkwan at the botanical garden (“that’s where the photo was from.”) and finally Sunday morning when you woke up at Sehyoon’s apartment in bed with Byeongkwan. He licked his lips and studied your burning face. _Is he going to get mad after all?_ However no such thing came.

“I went to the gym earlier.”

“Okay?”

The statement came unprompted and as a total change of topic. You were not sure what he was playing at. He smirked and added:

“Do wanna see?”

Without actually waiting for your answer he stood up from the table and took a step towards you. He lifted the sweater over his head and revealed a dark, tight fitting t-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders nicely. As expected the curves of his muscles were more pronounced and your mouth suddenly felt dry. Now the jeans also made sense. Without the sweater this was a totally different outfit and the intention was also clear. Sehyoon was here to seduce you. 

And it was working. He offered his hand and you took it. You let yourself be pulled to your feet and Sehyoon slung his other arm around your waist. 

You had a love hate relationship with his perfume. On one hand you loved how it was almost too good at making your insides churn, on the other you hated how much it affected you. 

Your lips met again but this time it was hungry and intense. You had your fingers buried in his long, soft hair and kissed him as if you had had not seen each other in ages. His hands landed on your butt and you thought he was going to squeeze it but instead he lifted you up. Reflexively your legs wrapped around his hips and he started to move until your back was against the wall. He rocked his pelvis against you and pulled away from your lips in favor of kissing your neck. You gasped when he lightly sucked on the sensitive skin there. 

“Do you want to me to fuck you like this?”

“...Yes.” 

You breathed and he groaned, kissing and sucking your neck. His hips were rocking against yours, his hard penis pressing deliciously rubbing your core. 

Suddenly he let go of your left leg and then let you sink onto your feet. 

“Take that off.”

His voice was as soft as ever but tense. He lifted his shirt over his head and revealed his beautiful upper body. You stared as he unbuckled his belt, watching his muscles move was captivating. 

“Next time I have to take you to the gym, hm?”

He grinned and his eyes glittered with mischief. Your trance was broken and you started to take off your clothes. 

The way he picked you up as if you weighed nothing was almost too hot to handle and he entered you with little friction. 

“Fuck.”

His lips were on your neck again and you wished you could come like this but that was not going to happen. The thrusts pushed you into the wall and your back did not like it. 

He stopped, as deep as possible inside you and looked into your eyes. 

“To the bed?”

You nodded simply and he carried you over. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The botanical garden in this story was a combination of gardens i have visited over the years. I love going to the plam house, especially in winter. Sadly the one near me is closed bc of the virus :((


	5. Casserole

The cafe was comfortably warm. While waiting in the queue you rubbed your hands. A cold had settled into the streets of the city and it would take some time inside before you could feel your fingers again. 

You ordered two coffees and sat down at one of the small tables. No sooner had you settled down, the door opened and Sehyoon entered. You waved and he waved back, a little smile on his face.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

He peck you on the lips and seated himself opposite you. The long, black coat matched his dark suit and white shirt in its professionalism. He looked like the hip CEO of a startup. 

“So. How did it go?”

You were on the edge of your seat, wanting to know how the talk with his boss had gone. Before he could answer, a figure appeared next to you. The waitress smiled and set the mugs of coffee down. You thank her and she left. Sehyoon sipped on his coffee, lost in some thought, but you were still waiting.

“So?”

A smile broke on his face. He leaned forward, beaming and said:

“I got a raise.”

“Oh my god! Congrats!”

You took his hands and shook them violently to release your happiness. This was amazing news for him. Although he had been at his company for years they had underpaid him. If Sehyoon had gone somewhere else, he could have made more. That was why you and Byeongkwan had joined forces and persuaded him to talk to his boss. 

In your celebration you had somehow landed in his lap. Some of the other customers, but especially the two young women at the table next to yours, glared disapprovingly. 

“He matched the offer I got from that other company. So, let’s get something nice to eat after I get my salary.”

You nodded and kissed him. It ended too fast, but you were in a cafe. Sehyoon reluctantly let go of you and you sat back on your chair. 

“Talking about fancy dinners. Someone from work invited me for dinner with her husband. Do you wanna go with me?”

Having to spend an evening alone with her and her husband did not seem like a good time. You needed backup there. 

“Sure.”

He offered you his hand and you took it. Despite walking outside in the cold, his hands were warm. 

“Oh, are you cold?”

Without waiting for an answer your hand was sandwiched between his. He rubbed your hand and slowly the cold faded. 

“The other one is cold too.”

Pouting, you showed your other hand. He smiled and gave it that same treatment. What a good way to stay warm. 

* * *

The weak sun hung deep in the blue sky and the cold was already lurking in the shadows. An almost magical feeling hung in the air. First Christmas decorations had appeared in the shop windows and some trees in the park had been hung with small lights. You stood at the entrance of the small park and waited. It was Friday late afternoon and the street was packed with shoppers. You scanned their faces but so far you had not seen him. For some reason you felt nervous. Even though Sehyoon had expressed his delight at the thought of you and Byeongkwan going on a date, it still felt odd. It would take time to get used to. 

A figure waved. You saw him on the other side of the street waiting for the crosswalk. Byeongkwan wore a puffy jacket, loose fit work out pants and a beanie. The thick scarf hid half his face. 

“Hey!”

“Hi!”

You threw your arms around him and he chuckled. When you pull back he would not let you get away. He pecked your lips once and as you were about to protest, he kissed you. You moved your lips against his. His lips were wonderful. They were warm and soft, exactly what you needed right now. For a moment you forgot that you were outside, on the street with people around you. 

“... I’m really happy with how the students are doing, that choreography was pretty hard for them.”

You walked slowly along the path as joggers and shoppers passed. It felt nice to spend time with Byeongkwan again. You slipped your hand between his arm and his upper body. Walking arm in arm around the park felt like a scene from a movie. 

Byeongkwan had come off work a little earlier so you could meet, when it was still daylight. The sun set earlier each day. 

“Well, I’m sure it has nothing to do with you being a good teacher.” 

A smile tucked at the corners of his mouth and he petted your hand on his arm. 

“Thanks.”

The sun was disappearing behind the buildings and you shivered, snuggling closer to Byeongkwan. 

A couple passed with some delicious smelling food. That reminded you ...

“Do you wanna have dinner with me?” 

Just as you asked, you walked past an entrance to the park. Byeongkwan and you had completed a round. 

“I thought that’s what we were going to do anyways.”

You had not actually decided anything beforehand. It had just been a vague declaration of “we want to spend time together”. On your phone you had a short list of recipes you liked. 

“What do you think about this?”

Byeongkwan checked the recipe on your phone and nodded. 

“Sounds good but I don’t think there are any of that at the apartment.”

You went to the store to pick up the groceries. There were surprisingly few people around and you flew through the aisles, picking out all the ingredients. Because this was an unfamiliar supermarket it took a while to get everything. You had read somewhere that the layouts of stores were confusing on purpose to keep you there longer. While in the line for the checkout you and Byeongkwan held hands like it was the most normal thing. No one was paying any attention to this and smiled to yourself because you knew a secret they did not.

Outside the store it was freezing. Byeongkwan looked around before starting to walk.

“Where are we going?”

He headed in the direction of the next subway station. 

“To Sehni’s place.”

The sun had made way for the biting cold of the night and your breath rose, puffs of fog. Each of you carried a bag with ingredients. 

“Isn’t your apartment closer?” 

He looked in both directions before crossing the small side street. A sign at the next corner marked the entrance to the subway. 

“My apartment is … very practical.” 

Byeongkwan pulled the zipper of his jacket higher. His scarf was also back in his face. You hurried to the stairs that promised escape from the cold. 

“I basically use it for storage only at this point.”

Indeed the air got warmer as you descended underground. The glass doors at the bottom of the stairs released a stale, warm wind from inside the subway station. 

“So you moved in with Sehni?”

Your voice echoed from the tiled walls of the hallway that lead to more stairs going down. 

“I mean, It would be great to have an actual shared apartment, where I have all my stuff…”

This topic was dropped, when you saw that your train had arrived and you both ran to get to the door. Inside the car was packed with people and way too warm for your thick coat. Byeongkwan unzipped his jacket and you seized the opportunity to sneak your cold hands under it and around his chest. Compared to Sehni’s broad shoulders and massive chest, Byeongkwan seemed rather petite but his body felt solid and warm. Your head rested on his shoulder and he kissed your hair before burying his nose in it. In this position the ride with the subway could have lasted forever. You loved it. 

Sehyoon‘s apartment was deserted and dark when you arrived. Its owner was currently spending his evening with some friends which was partially why you were with Byeongkwan on this day instead of him. Date night was date night, today just with someone else. 

The small hallway with the built-in closet opened into the open kitchen and living room with the only other rooms being the bedroom and the bathroom. The kitchen was separated from the living room with a counter that also added more space for cutting and working. On the living room side of the counter stood a small table with two chairs where you had had breakfast with Byeongkwan last time. 

For dinner you had opted for something simple to make, a casserole. While you made the sauce, Byeongkwan cut the vegetables into small cubes and you watched with half your attention. He had rolled up the sleeves of his black sweater so they would not get stained and the muscles in his forearms moved as he cut. His skin was very pale against the dark fabric and even to your surprise you found yourself thinking about leaving a hickey somewhere on him. How it would look when you sucked at the skin. It would turn red and you would have done that. The thought was exciting. Now where would you put one? The neck was an obvious answer but not one you liked. A bit tacky. On his chest maybe? Not as obvious but you would know it is there. Maybe if he wore a low cut shirt the mark would be visible.  _ Everyone could see someone did that to him. _

“What is it?” 

He did not even look up from his vegetables and your brain needed a moment to register that he had addressed you.

“What?” 

You echoed.  _ I think I stared. Damn. I stared.  _

“What were you thinking while licking your lips like that?” 

“Ehm…”

The cutting stopped and he looked at you expecting an answer, but you were a bit too embarrassed to tell him.  _ He would think it’s weird that I want to essentially bruise his skin. _

“Come on, spill.” He pressed and when you reverted your attention to the sauce, he put down the knife and wrapped you in a back hug. He kissed your neck and it tickled.

“Tell me!”

_ Perk _ . It tickled.

“No!”

You wound in his grap. Tickling.

“Come on!”

You ducked your head trying to limit his excess. Your face was hurting from laughing.

“Tell me!”

Breaking out from his grasp seemed impossible. You could hardly breath.

“Okay, okay. I will tell you.” 

He let you go, gently turning you towards him, but you looked down, catching your breath. You had to tell him because you would not survive another assault like this.

“I was thinking about ... how I wanted to … ehm … leave hickeys on you.”

_ Oh boy, I said it. He will think I'm weird.  _

“Okay.” 

You looked up at that. Definitely not the reaction you had expected. Byeongkwan did not seem particularly distressed about this and went back to cutting the vegetables. 

The sauce had thankfully not burned while you had almost died from laughing. You watched Byeongkwan from the corner of your eye. His reaction has been so odd, it bothered you. You wanted to know why he was so calm about this. 

When he was done with the vegetables, you stacked the casserole. The oven was hot and you opened it. 

“How long will it take?” 

He asked with a slightly husky voice, when you placed the dish in the oven. 

“About an hour.”

You started the timer set for 50 minutes. Then you would have to put the cheese on it and increase the temperature for a good finish.

“Good.” 

Byeongkwan’s hand landed on your shoulder and turned you around. His eyes were dark and his hands wrapped around your middle.  _ Okay, so that is where this will go.  _

He crashed your lips together and backed you up against the counter. The kiss was desperate and your stomach clenched as his hands slid into your hair. Secretly you had been thinking about him all week, since you had decided to meet. 

You could feel him, half hard, pressing against you and moaned quietly. He used your weak moment and slipped his tongue into your mouth. The counter was pressing uncomfortably against you back but you could endure it for a bit longer if it meant having him kiss you like this. It made your knees like rubber. What ever cold had remained from outside was now driven out. You felt hot. Breathing would be nice though. You broke the kiss to get some air and saw the pupils of his eyes blown out with the want. 

“Come.” 

He took your hand and you followed him to the bedroom feeling like a lovesick teenager. Giddy and beaming from ear to ear. The bedroom was mostly unchanged from last time except the sheets on the bed were now a dark blue. 

Byeongkwan sat down on the bed and pulled you into his lap, his arms secure around your waist. His soft lips moved slowly against yours as your fingers buried themselves in his silky hair, lightly pulling at it. He moaned, low and quiet, into your mouth and you rolled your hips in his lap for some friction. You were getting a bit worked up too. 

He broke the kiss and pulled his sweater over his head leaving him in a dark, soft t-shirt. You took the hint and removed your pullover. His hands were under the hem of your t-shirt immediately, gently rubbing your lower back as you continued to kiss. The feeling of his lips was addicting, you did not want him to stop clouding your mind. 

“So you want to leave a mark, hm?” 

He purred into your ear before kissing down your neck that you presented willingly to him. An affirmative noise was all you could muster. Coherent sentences were not possible at the moment.

“I got a suggestion as to where.” He leaned back slightly and you looked at him, head spinning with the need of wanting him inside you. You got gently pushed off his lap and you stood up with shaky legs, watching as he pulled the t-shirt over his head and opened the button of his jeans.  _ Okay, wow.  _ You could not decide where to look first. He had beautifully defined muscles and his pale skin was begging for you to mark it. The fact that he wanted this too had alleviated all concerns and guilt you had felt. 

Your hands flew to his abs like metal to a magnet and ran down towards the bulge in his pants but never reached it because he laid back on the bed. He pulled the jeans and the hem of his underwear down exposing more of his perfect stomach. 

“What do you think about here?” 

His finger ran over the area that was previously hidden just under the waistband of his jeans. The thought of putting a hickey there made your mouth water and you swallowed hard. The smile on his face was down right evil as you pulled down his pants and the underwear the rest of the way. He positioned himself in the middle of the bed. You ran your tongue over the area in question, earning shiver from him, before starting to suck and bite. The way he responded made you even more wet. The sucking in of air, was followed by a higher pitched moan and his hand landed on your head. He had a hard time keeping still and shifted slightly under you. His fingers were tangled in your hair. You pulled away to look at your work. The area was a deep red and Byeongkwan was panting audibly, he looked uncomfortably hard. 

“Do you want to ride me?” 

It sounded more like a plea than like a question. 

“yes.”

You could not get out of your clothes fast enough. He got a condom from the bedside table, rolling it on. You straddled him and rocked your hips forward along the length of his hard penis before aligning it under you. You let yourself slide down on it until he was completely inside you and your hips met. As you had not even fingered yourself the stretch was almost painful, but so good at the same time. You rolled your hips and his hand caressed your thighs. 

“You feel so good.” 

His hips twitched a little under you, trying so hard not to thrust up. Your hand traveled up his body and landed on his chest that you proceeded to use as rest as you lifted your hips and pushed down into him again. His arms supported your motion. A sharp pain in your knee made you stop.  _ Okay, then I have to do it differently.  _ You opted for rolling and grinding against him instead. 

With your hands on his thighs, slightly bent back was the perfect angle. The pressure on your clit and g spot was making you light headed. You felt your whole body tense and you held your breath.  _ So good. _ His cute moans pushed you over the edge and you rode your orgasm out while looking into his eyes. 

“Can you continue?” 

His voice was tense, his face and neck flushed pink. Some hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. You nodded and rolled your hips into him again avoiding your oversensitive clit touching anything. He closed his eyes and moaned again. It motivated you to push through the uncomfortableness. You let his hands guide your hips. He looked beautiful, with his pink cheeks and half opened mouth. He came with a loud, half-suppressed moan. 

Thankfully the casserole did not burn while you had been in the bedroom. You turned up the heat for the last 10 minutes to get a good crust and went to the bathroom to clean yourself up. 

“Here.”

Byeongkwan handed you a sweater and some fluffy pants. 

“Thanks.”

The clothes smelled of the detergent that they used. You sniffed at it as you walked back to the kitchen and turned off the oven. The casserole smelled delicious. 

Byeongkwan joined you not long after in the kitchen. He set the table and you placed the hot dish on it. 

“It smells amazing.”

You helped yourself to some food. It was very hot and despite your hunger, you forced yourself to eat slowly. Byeongkwan’s hair was still wet from the short shower. You wanted to hug him.  _ I guess the sex made me soft for him.  _

The kitchen had a dishwasher and you could not have been more thankful for that. Washing everything by hand would have been awful. You settled down on the couch after loading the dishwasher and Byeongkwan turned on the tv. The hoodie he was wearing was too big for him and made him look very cute. He laid down and you snuggled up against his chest. 

You continued the series you had watched the last time. Despite the warmth coming from Byeongkwan your back felt cold and you shivered. 

“Are you cold?”

“A bit.”

He pulled out a blanket from under his head and threw it over you. 

“Thanks.”

You did not pay that much attention to the story unfolding on screen. The position you were in was too relaxing. You were surrounded by warmth, secure in Byeongkwan’s arms. He stroked your hair. It was so gentle that it made your heart arche. 

“Kwanie…”

You did not know what you wanted to say, so you just snuggled closer to him, if that was possible. His breathing had become very steady and when you looked up you saw that he was asleep.  _ It’s very nice laying like this, but it won’t be comfortable to sleep here all night. _

“Kwanie!”

You shook him gently. He stirred and groaned.

“Let’s go to bed.”

* * *

The sun woke you up the next morning. Byeongkwan was next to you, still asleep. His hair was disheveled and you wanted to pet it. He however was not the only other person on the bed. Sehyoon laid half on top of him, also sleeping. You had not noticed when he had gotten home or had entered the bedroom. Either he had been very quiet or you had slept like a stone. 

As quietly as possible you stood up and opened the door. It creaked. You went to the bathroom. 

When you came back, Byeongkwan had turned around and they were facing each other. His eyes were open now and he listened to Sehyoon talking. His voice was too quiet for you to understand anything but it sounded a bit husky. One hand was drawing circles on Byeongkwan’s bare shoulder, but now Sehyoon pulled him into a hug. You felt like you were intruding.  _ Maybe I should go shower first and give them some space? But I still gotta get something to wear.  _ You decided to just announce your presence. 

“Good morning.” 

You said and they both perked up. For a very short moment Byeongkwan was surprised and Sehyoon confused. It was only a moment. Then Kwanie beamed at you and Sehni gave you a smile that could melt ice instantly. Sehyoon looked very tired and you wondered when he had actually come back.

“I will make breakfast!”

Byeongkwan peeled himself out of his boyfriend’s embrace and got up. He collected his hoodie and pants from the chair next to the bed. Before he could leave however Sehyoon half-shouted: “Wait! What’s that?!”

“Huh? What is what?”

Byeongkwan looked down and you followed the outstretched arm too. It pointed to the hem of Byeongkwan‘s underwear. There something red and blue was peeking out. The mark from yesterday evening. Your face was instantly hot and your heart hammered in your chest. 

“Wow.” Sehyoon reached over and ran a finger over the skin. Byeongkwan bit his lip.  _ There are no other marks on him so I guess Sehni doesn’t do this.  _ Yesterday the thought of other people seeing the mark on Byeongkwan was a huge turn on but now that Sehyoon was examining it, you felt anxious. As if he had heard your thoughts, Sehyoon looked at you, then up at his boyfriend’s face. 

He smiled softly. “You two? Huh?”

A pout replaced the smile as he sank down on the bed again. “And you didn’t even tell me?”

He looked back and forth from you to his boyfriend. 

“Ugh.. I …”

You stammered.

“Don’t make her feel bad.”

Byeongkwan lightly slapped him. 

“I’m not mad, just.. I wanna know things too. Come here!”

He spread his arms and you jumped on the bed, into his embrace.

“You smell like a liquid store.”

Sehyoon laughed and kissed the top of your head. Byeongkwan joined you on the bed, embracing both of you. 

“My head hurts.”

“And whose fault is that?”

Byeongkwan pecked his lips and got up. He left for the kitchen and you got to enjoy a moment with Sehyoon. You wrapped your arms around him and snuggled against his chest. 

“How was it yesterday? When did you come home?” 

Your voice was muffled by his shirt. Sehyoon groaned and rubbed his eyes.

“3 am, I think?”

You had been asleep then for sure. 

“A friend had a bad break up and I had to take care of him.”

He tightened his embrace as if he was afraid you would leave too.  _ So that’s why he is this hungover. Usually he doesn’t really get drunk.  _ You kissed his cheek.  _ Poor Sehni, he needs some extra care today.  _

“I need to drink something and shower. Let’s get up.”

You got some clothes from your backpack that you had brought the day before and took a quick shower. The hot water was a blessing. 

Sehyoon had made coffee and Byeongkwan set the small table. There was a problem though. The table was only for two. Two chairs. 

“You two eat, I will have coffee first.”

The mug in Sehyoon’s hand steamed. He leaned against the kitchen counter and watched as you sat down opposite Byeongkwan. 

“I need a bigger apartment.”

* * *

Friday had become your favorite day of the week. It was the day when you spent time with Sehyoon and Byeongkwan. Either with one of them or sometimes with both. You would have movie nights and clubbing with Byeongkwan, long talks and cuddling on the couch with Sehyoon. 

On this particular Friday you went to their apartment for a game night. Three was a good number to play any number of games. It was not as boring as playing with two. You did not know what game they had in mind, just that it was a cooperative one. 

You arrived at the building at about half past six with a backpack. They had told you not to worry about food and drinks, but you still needed something to wear. Secretly you loved wearing their clothes. You did not know whose clothes were actually in the closet. There was no indication of who owned what. Byeongkwan tended to wear a looser fit, so everything except the suits seemed to be comunal.

Sehyoon opened the door and you fell into his arms. The thick fabric of his sweater was perfect to just sink into. Sehyoon felt warm and solid in your arms. You let your weight rest on him. He held you up as if it was nothing. 

“We’re gonna play something later. Are you sure you can play like this?”

Holding onto him tighter was the only answer you gave him and he chuckled.

“How about you give me some love too?”

The pout in Byeongkwan’s voice made you smile. Being left out was not something he liked. If there was cuddling while he was in the room, it had to involve him as well. 

“Okay.”

You let go of Sehyoon and moved on to the next victim. Byeongkwan was almost drowning in his clothes. The fluffy tie-dye hoodie was the cutest thing. 

“Hard week?”

His voice was soft against your hair.  _ Had  _ it been a hard week? One of your colleagues had been sick since Sunday which meant all their work had to be done by other people. So in addition to your own work you also had to do a bunch of other things that you were barely familiar with. To get everything done in time you had to work over time. You had even fought your boss to get off work so you could be there on time. It was not like your boyfriends would not understand and more like you did not live for your company. You had to have leisure time too. 

“Yes.... I missed you.”

“Aww. We’ll have a nice relaxed evening, okay?”

He kissed the top of your head and patted your back.

On the couch table they had already set up a board game. The map vaguely reminded you of fantasy novels. 

“Here.”

Byeongkwan handed you the manual. The game they had bought was like an easier version of dungeons and dragons. Each of you played a different character with a specific skill set. You had to work together to fulfill the mission and win the game. 

The time constraints of the game were what made it interesting. Indeed you lost the round. 

“Let’s order some food and try again.”

Sehyoon handled the actual ordering and you decided to prepare some plates. Eating out of the container was okay, but you prefer something that was not cardboard. Byeongkwan joined you in the kitchen. 

“I think, if we spread out more next round we will do better. We waste too much time by trying to go long distances.”

He nodded absentmindedly and made himself a tea.  _ I guess the game is not where his thoughts are.  _

Byeongkwan studied your face. Something he did when he wanted to say something but could not quite bring himself to say it. 

“What is it?”

He pursed his lips and sized you up.  _ Is something wrong with my outfit? _

“What do you think about pegging?”

It was as if he had hit you between the eyes. You were dumbfounded. Byeongkwan took a sip from his drink without breaking eye contact. He just loved making you blush didn’t he?

“Ehm..”

You were not sure what to say really. 

“You know what that means, do you?”

You nodded stiffly.  _ Why am I this speechless?  _

“It’s just, I have never done that.”

_ Good, so you can speak.  _

His expression softened. 

“That’s okay, but do you want to?” 

His eyes glittered as he waited for your answer. Byeongkwan however was not the only one who was waiting. Sehyoon had sat down on the other side of the kitchen counter and watched with eyes wide open. He looked like someone who did not want to miss a single detail. 

“Maybe she needs to … see some arguments for that.” 

Sehyoon offered to Byeongkwan.  _ Arguments? Why does that sound like code?? _

Byeongkwan had this evil glitter in his eyes. He had something in mind. You swallowed hard. In a motion so fluid it could only come from someone with a lot of body control, he leaned forward, his arms outstretched over the counter. The position showed off his firm ass. The way he arched his back made the air catch in your throat. 

Sehyoon exhaled and the sound snapped you back to reality. 

“This is too much tension for me.”

Byeongkwan straigthened again and looked at Sehyoon who walked away. 

“How about you get to watch?”

Sehyoon froze mid step. He had voiced on several occasions that he wanted to watch, so this really got his attention.

“What do you say?”

Without thinking about it your hand landed on Byeongkwan’s ass. A triumphant smile appeared and your face burned. Maybe that had been a bit much. 

“Yes and yes.”

Sehyoon whistled and Byeongkwan kissed you. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr^^


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